Shikhar Dhawan Needs To Be Patient And Maximize His Opportunities In Sri Lanka: WV Raman

Former Indian women’s coach WV Raman has opened up on Shikhar Dhawan and the opportunities lined up for him in Sri Lanka. Shikhar Dhawan will lead the young Indian side in three ODIs and as many T20Is, starting from Sunday. WV Raman believes that the southpaw must make the best use of his opportunities.

Despite an encouraging record in the shortest format and playing well in the IPL recently, Shikhar Dhawan has been on the fringes of India’s T20I team. Several experts have touted the 35-year old to miss out on the squad for the T20 World Cup as the selectors are likely to prefer Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul to open the innings.

WV Raman stated it’s a massive opportunity for Shikhar Dhawan to get runs against an international side and retaining the competitive edge. The 56-year old feels the veteran must maximize his chances in Sri Lanka to be in the reckoning for the World Cup.

“He is a quality player and this tour is an opportunity for him to get runs against an international side. In case of Shikhar, it is a case of retaining his competitive edge, waiting and watching as to how things pan out. Unlike others, Shikhar needs to be a bit more patient and needs to try and ensure that he makes the best possible use of these matches and put the ball in the selectors’ court,” Raman told Times of India.

WV Raman unimpressed by Arjuna Ranatunga’s comments on the Indian team:

WV Raman also gave his verdict on Arjuna Ranatunga’s controversial comments, in which he described India’s second-string squad as an insult to Sri Lanka cricket. The Chennai-born former cricketer understands Ranatunga’s contribution to the Sri Lankan team and has the right to criticize the country’s cricketing side and system. However, Raman expects the World Cup-winning skipper to be careful with his words.

“Ranatunga has been integral to Sri Lanka’s success and well within his limits to express his disappointments in any which way about his own cricketing board and system. But he must probably be a bit choosy when he starts to describe a visiting team or the members of the visiting team,” he added.

Also Read: Indian Team Is The Favorite To Win Both ODI And T20I Series In Sri Lanka – Wasim Jaffer