Team India opener and currently one of the integral parts of the Delhi Capitals squad, Shikhar Dhawan after going through a lean patch in the early part of Vivo IPL 12 has finally roared back to form and has looked in ominous touch in the last 3 innings he has played so far. Former India cricketer and a [popular commentator of the modern generation, Sanjay Manjrekar credited Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting for playing an important part to shake Shikhar Dhawan out of his comfort zone.
Taking to his Twitter handle, Sanjay Manjrekar wrote, “Needed a Ricky Ponting to shake Shikhar out of his comfort zone. Far too many coaches pander to the wishes of star players. Dhawan is a better T20 batsman now thanks to Ricky.”
Needed a Ricky Ponting to shake Shikhar out of his comfort zone. Far too many coaches pander to the wishes of star players. Dhawan is a better T20 batsman now thanks to Ricky.#DCvKXIP
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) April 20, 2019
Shikhar Dhawan started off the tournament quite poorly for the Delhi Capitals with a string of low scores under his belt. He finally roared back to form with an unbeaten 96 against Kolkata Knight Riders which saw his team through in a close fought match. He followed it up with a quickfire 35 in the very next game against Mumbai Indians.
The southpaw carried on his good form even in the match against the Kings XI Punjab. He scored a well-constructed half-century to get his franchise close to the victory target. Eventually, it was an unbeaten knock from the blade of skipper Shreyas Iyer which saw his team through. The victory also meant DC went to the 2nd position in the points table with 6 victories from 10 matches.
Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan will be one of the most important members of the Indian World Cup squad for the 2019 World Cup which is slated to be played in England and Wales from 30th May. The southpaw has a sensational record in ICC tournaments and especially in English conditions. He has been the highest run scorer during the 2013 and the 2017 Champions when the tournament was held in England.
The opening partnership of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma will play a crucial role for India at the top of the order. There is no doubt about the fact that No 3 Virat Kohli will be the most important player for India. Only the top 3 for India is settled in the 50 overs and we can expect a lot of fireworks from them in the upcoming quadrennial event.