Indian veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan recalled the memories of his debut for the national team, where he had similarities with MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina on his debut. The 37-year-old was a prolific opener for India along with Rohit Sharma since the 2013 Champions trophy but was recently sidelined from the Indian team owing to his poor form and the emergence of Shubman Gill.
The Delhi-born cricketer speaking to Aaj Tak shared many things including the loss of his place in the Indian team.
Speaking on his debut for the Indian team, Dhawan said it was dream come true moment when he made his debut for India against Australia in Visakhapatnam, where he was dismissed for a duck. According to him, it was a golden opportunity missed as Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were in their prime form.
“It is always a dream to play for India as a young cricketer. And I couldn’t sleep at all that night. I woke up in the morning and saw it was raining and later the match was called off. In the second match, it was in the city of destiny which is Visakhapatnam.
“I made my debut. We fielded first and I was stationed at slip, then mid-off, and probably everywhere. When my batting came, I was bowled in the second over itself. I was smiling on my way back to the pavilion thinking ‘I thought of scoring a 100 and ended up with 0’,” Dhawan recalled his 1st match.
Shikhar Dhawan was bowled for a duck by Clint McKay on the second ball of his innings. Dhawan also recollected his conversation with Suresh Raina, who was then a senior player for India. Raina in response to him said “zero is lucky” as he and Dhoni were dismissed for zero on their respective debuts.
“Suresh Raina was there in the pavilion. He was a senior player then. He told me, ‘Even I was dismissed for zero. MS Dhoni was also dismissed for zero. It is a lucky zero.’ Then I started smiling again. But then I kept thinking when will I get my next opportunity because back in those days Sehwag and Gambhir were in their prime,” he said.
Shikhar Dhawan will be next seen leading Punjab Kings, where he will hope to do well and take the team to their maiden IPL title in 2023. The team has assembled in Punjab for their preseason camp under their new head coach Trevor Bayliss.
MS Dhoni-Led Chennai Super Kings Ready To Roar
Chennai Super Kings has begun their preparation for this edition of IPL 2023 in Chepauk. MS Dhoni will be leading CSK in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. The former Indian Skipper has been playing for CSK since 2008 and has won four titles from them. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will take on Gujarat Titans (GT) in the opening encounter on March 31, at Ahmedabad.
This time the IPL will be played again at home and away with MS Dhoni playing in Chennai for the CSK after three years. Chennai Super Kings will have their first home game on 3rd April when they face Lucknow Super Giants at Chepauk.