Shikhar Dhawan was back in action after a couple of months as India took on New Zealand in the first ODI in Auckland on Friday. The stand-in skipper showcased a class act with the bat in hand, smashing 72 off 77 balls with the help of 13 boundaries. He forged a 124-run opening stand with Shubman Gill, who also notched up a fifty to set the base for India’s 306/7 at the end of the first innings.
Former head coach Ravi Shastri, who is currently one of the commentators in the series, lauded Dhawan for his superb knock but also pointed out that he doesn’t get the accolades he deserves.
“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,” said Shastri on Prime Video during the match.
“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 further.
