IND vs WI: 'He Has Been Invaluable To Indian Cricket': Former Fielding Coach Reserves Big Praise For Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan, a seasoned opener who currently only participates in one-day international cricket, hasn’t been a member of the Indian team in all recent tournaments, but former fielding coach R Sridhar thinks the left-handed batter, who will captain the team on its upcoming tour of Zimbabwe, has been a significant asset to Team India recently. 

The 36-year-old Delhi native captained India during the three-match ODI series against the West Indies last month and made history by being the first Indian captain to thrash the West Indies in ODIs at home. Later this month, when a backup Indian squad heads to Zimbabwe for a three-match ODI series, he will once again take on the leadership responsibilities. 

Dhawan ended as the Men in Blue’s second-highest run scorer in the matches against the West Indies, scoring fifty runs in two of the three games. He had tremendous fielding abilities in addition to being a great skipper. 

Shikhar Dhawan Has Carved A Niche For Himself As A Reliable Opening Batter: R Sridhar

Dhawan worked with Sridhar throughout his time in India, and Sridhar spoke highly of both his significance and his skill against the Windies. 

 “About Dhawan, he has been invaluable to Indian cricket for the last eight or nine years, especially in the white-ball format. He has been a great foil to both Rohit and Virat. These two guys have been exceptional at the top, and Dhawan has got a huge role to play as a left-hander.

He has carved a niche for himself as a reliable opening batter. His fitness is probably better than it was a few years ago. He also understands the game better,” Sridhar told cricket.com. 

Shikhar Dhawan Going Nowhere Till The 2023 World Cup: R Shridhar

He asserts that the left-handed batter would undoubtedly play for India in the ICC Men’s World Cup in 2019. 

“When it comes to ODI cricket, we don’t want to look beyond him too much, or at least till the 2023 World Cup, and in the shorter format, he is a back-up better. He gives his IPL teams 400-plus runs every season, but whereas the Indian team is concerned, he is going nowhere till the 2023 World Cup.” 

Also Read: WI vs IND: Match Preview – India Tour of West Indies 2022, 3rd T20I