Shikhar Dhawan’s strike rate especially in T20s has been questioned by many in recent times. It was also one of the reasons why he lost his place in India’s T20I team and later the ODI team as well.
And recently, commentator Harsha Bhogle also questioned the veteran opener’s strike rate only to be left red-faced. Shikhar Dhawan, on Sunday (April 9), came up with a brilliant response for Bhogle, first on the field and then in the post-match interview.
It all began after Shikhar Dhawan’s knock against Rajasthan Royals last week. The Punjab Kings skipper played a crucial knock of 86 runs off 56 balls to help his side finish their innings on a big total of 197 for 4 in the allotted 20 overs.
He remained unbeaten and ensured that his team make the most of the good start and post a big total. However, Bhogle took a dig at Shikhar Dhawan during the game as he opined that the “anchor batter” role might be out of place in T20s. Taking to Twitter, Bhogle suggested that even though Dhawan might end up increasing his strike rate towards the end but his slow start to the innings should be questioned.
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“Shikhar Dhawan’s innings will raise, should raise, the question of whether you can have an anchor batter, especially in these conditions,” Bhogle tweeted. “You can appear to have increased your strike rate by the end, but the 30 balls at run-a-ball can hurt.”
Shikhar Dhawan's innings will raise, should raise, the question of whether you can have an anchor batter, especially in these conditions. You can appear to have increased your strike rate by the end, but the 30 balls at run-a-ball can hurt.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 5, 2023
Talking about the game against Royals, Punjab Kings went on to win the high-scoring thriller by 4 runs in the end. Later, Bhogle explained his opinion on Dhawan’s knock, saying that such knocks were only debateable in high-scoring games.
“This topic is not specific to Shikhar today. We have been talking about it over the last 2-3 years; about fine players like KL Rahul, Babar Azam, at times even Virat Kohli & Jos Buttler. My view is that in a 150-160 game, you might consider that role but not in a 180-190 game,” Bhogle added.
Shikhar Dhawan’s response to Harsha Bhogle:
It did not take Shikhar Dhawan long to respond to Harsha Bhogle’s questions about his strike-rate. On Sunday, he played yet another brilliant knock against Sunrisers Hyderabad although he could not save his team from the defeat.
He remained unbeaten on 99 off 66 balls to help his side recover from 88 for 9 and post a respectable total of 143 for 9. In the last 5 overs of the innings, he and Mohit Rathee shared an unbeaten stand of 55 runs in which the latter scored just 1 run. Although Punjab lost the game, Dhawan was named Player of the Match for his efforts.
And after replying to Bhogle on the field, he came up with a reply during the post-match presentation ceremony too. As Bhogle interviewed Dhawan, the star batsman said: “I hope you were happy with my strike-rate as you tweeted something. I can bowl googlies as well!”
Watch the interview here: