Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has picked out-of-favour Indian veteran Shikhar Dhawan as his favourite batting partner in cricket. The left-handed opener was left out of the ODI squad after the away series against Bangladesh last year owing to his poor performance in the 50-over format of the game.
Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are one of the best modern-day opening pairs in ODI cricket producing memorable performances for the team since the start of the 2013 Champions Trophy. The two have grown from strength to strength and have been extremely consistent before the left-handed opener fell out of favour with the Indian team.
Speaking to IANS, Rohit Sharma opened up about his relationship with the Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan on and off the field. He added that he preferred playing with the southpaw in international cricket.
“Shikhar Dhawan & I had a very strong friendship on and off the field. We have played for so many years together, and it’s a partnership that I enjoyed being part of. He has a very infectious energy, and it’s just a lot of fun to be around him, and the records that we set as an opening pair for India,” Rohit Sharma told IANS.
The prolific opening pair was one of the key reasons why India lifted the trophy in the 2013 Champions Trophy, constantly getting the team off to brilliant starts in big games. They are on the all-time list of most prolific opening pairs in One-day cricket.
Shikhar Dhawan fell out of favour with the Indian team, due to his poor form after the emergence of Shubman Gill as an all-format opener for India. Dhawan last turned out for India during their tour of Bangladesh where he scored only 18 runs in three matches.
The 37-year-old was expected to be the frontline opener alongside Rohit Sharma for the ODI World Cup 2023, having played together starting in 2013.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma recently gave the Men in Blue a much-needed start to the game with his aggressive batting, scoring three straight half-centuries in the continental event. Indian skipper joined the 10,000 ODI runs club after a fantastic batting display against Sri Lanka.
Rohit is now the second-fastest batter to achieve the feat after the Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli. The flamboyant batter would look to carry on fine form going into the ODI World Cup on home soil.
