Indian veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan has revealed his choice of first five players in his dream playing XI for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. The left-handed opener is considered one of the best Indian players in the ICC event but has found himself out of the Indian team due to the emergence of Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill.
Dhawan last turned out for India during their tour of Bangladesh where he scored only 18 runs in three matches. Gill replaced Shikhar Dhawan as the opener of the India ODI side after the Bangladesh series in 2022 and has picked up his choice of the best five players from different teams for the mega event in India.
Speaking on ICC, Shikhar Dhawan has picked Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as his first two choices of players in his dream team for the World Cup in India, as the former Indian skipper has been scoring runs around the world and said that the Indian skipper has done phenomenally well in the ICC events for the Indian team.
“The first (picked) is Virat of course, He is the best batter in the world and has been scoring runs like crazy. Rohit is a very experienced customer, He has scored lots of runs in ICC tournaments and bilateral (series) and he’s a proven player (on the big stage),” Shikhar Dhawan said.
Virat Kohli is a brilliant batter across the three formats of the game, his domination in ODI Cricket has been of a different level altogether and Rohit Sharma in One Day International has exceptional performer over the years, as the format is considered the strength of the Indian skipper in cricket.
Shaheen Afridi, I Wouldn’t Take Because Then There Would Be Two Left-arm Pacers – Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan has picked Australian pacer Mitchell Starc on his dream team for the World Cup in India alongside Afghanistan all-rounder Rashid Khan, who can be vital with his all-round skills in the Sub-continental conditions and went in with South African pacer Kagiso Rabada in the team as he rushes the batters with his pure pace on India.
“I’ll go for Mitchell Starc as he is one of the best fast bowlers (in the world), The fourth player will be Rashid Khan with his mystery action, I am sure he’ll be very, very impactful (in India) and will take lots of wickets.”
“Shaheen Afridi I wouldn’t take because then there would be two left-arm pacers, so I’ll go for Rabada. Rabada has that extra pace and extra bounce that is going to rush the batters,” Shikhar Dhawan added.
Mitchell Starc has done exceedingly well for the Australian team recently as their primary new ball bowler. He is a bowler, who can dismantle the top order if there is a little help from the pitch and can be crucial for the team’s chances in the mega event in India.
The Afghanistan all-rounder Rashid Khan has been one of the best players in the world and has once again proved his worth in International Cricket, with the ability to contribute to the team’s success with both bat and ball.
Kagiso Rabada has struggled to perform well in the shortest format of the game of late but can be a key player for Proteas in World Cup having the experience of playing in India over the last few years. He has produced very good numbers for South Africa in all three formats of the game since his international debut.