Last Update on: August 18th, 2022 at 11:01 pm
Former India National Cricket Team player Mohammad Kaif showered high praise on the veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan for his stellar show with the bat in the first ODI of the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe National Cricket Team at the Harare Sports Club on Thursday, August 18.
Dhawan played a calm and composed knock against the Regis Chakabva-led side and scored 81 runs off 113 balls, including 9 fours. Also, he had a 192-run partnership with Shubman Gill that helped Team India chase down the target of 190 runs in just 30.5 overs to win by 10 wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
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Meanwhile, Kaif said that the veteran left-handed opening batsman, Dhawan, always plays under tremendous pressure because several youngsters are waiting to get a chance in the Indian team and his poor performance could lead to his exit from the ODI setup as well.
“Shikhar Dhawan, who does not play all the formats and plays this format only, ask him how important this inning is for him. Every innings is like a war for him because so many players are waiting, if he does badly, then he will be out from here as well. But the guy is not giving a chance,” Kaif said on Sony Sports.
“He is scoring runs whenever he is given an opportunity. He has scored 6500 ODI runs, which is not an easy task, he has had a very long journey. He showed his ability, that he is ready and has come here not to survive but to score runs and win matches,” he added.
He knows how to make a comeback – Mohammad Kaif on Shikhar Dhawan
Former India cricketer further said that despite being under pressure, Dhawan knows exactly how to make a strong comeback and mentioned that the opener bounced back strong in the West Indies ODIs after a poor series against England.
“He did not have a good ODI tour of England. But as soon as he reached West Indies, he scored runs in every match. The ups and downs will be there, there were times in between when he didn’t score runs, there was pressure, but he knows how to make a comeback,” he added.
“He is a touch player, he can play the big shots, but he is consistent. Shikhar knows that if he has to stay here, he has to score in every match. The selectors are giving opportunities to young players, so the pressure is always there on him. He played a very good knock today. Shikhar Dhawan is ticking all the boxes,” Kaif said.
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