Shikhar Dhawan does not get accolades he deserves with spotlight on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma: Ravi Shastri

Shikhar Dhawan does not get accolades he deserves with spotlight on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma: Ravi Shastri

Shikhar Dhawan does not get accolades he deserves with spotlight on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma: Ravi Shastri
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India’s stand-in ODI skipper Shikhar Dhawan on Friday played an entertaining knock of 72 off 77 balls, when the Men in Blue took on New Zealand in the first ODI in Auckland. Dhawan’s knock soon grabbed the attention of former coach Ravi Shastri, who said Dhawan does not get the accolades he deserves, while adding that the spotlight largely falls on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

“He’s vastly experienced. He doesn’t get the accolades that he deserves. To be honest, most of the spotlight is on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. But when you look at his one-day cricket record, and you look at some of the innings he has played against top teams in big games, it’s an outstanding record. A left-hander at the top makes a lot of difference,” Shastri said on Amazon Prime Video during the first ODI.

Ravi Shastri went on to complement Dhawan’s natural stroke play, and added that Dhawan’s experience in the 50-pver format will come in handy for youngsters in the squad.

“He is a natural stroke player, he has got all the shots to countertop class fast bowling, the pull, the cut, and the drive,” the 60-year-old said.

“He likes it when the ball is coming onto the bat, and I think his experience will be handy here. There are a lot of talented youngsters around, but I think in this format of the game, his experience will be in value,” Shastri added.

Dhawan got off to a slow start on  Friday, but his innings gained speed later on. He reached his 39th ODI fifty in 63 balls, while also hitting Lockie Ferguson for consecutive fours in the 15th over.

Apart from Dhawan, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer also scored fifties, while Washington Sundar amassed an unbeaten 37 off just 16 deliveries to take India to 306/7.

However, all their efforts went in vain as Tom Latham (145*) and Kane Williamson (95*) helped the Kiwis chase down the total with seven wickets and 17 deliveries remaining.

India will look to bounce back when the two teams face off in the second ODI in Hamilton on Sunday.

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