IND vs SA 2022: [WATCH] Shikhar Dhawan puts in the hard yards ahead of ODIs against South Africa

Senior Team India batter Shikhar Dhawan is gearing up for the one-day series against South Africa at home, which will be played from October 6 to 11. On Wednesday (September 28), he shared a video on his official Instagram handle in which he is seen working extremely hard in the gym as well as in the nets.

The left-hander only represents the country in the ODI format as of now. His last T20I was against Sri Lanka in July last year, while he hasn’t played Test cricket since the tour of England in 2018. The 36-year-old was part of the one-day series against Zimbabwe in Harare last month, which the Men in Blue clinched 3-0.

In a video shared on his official Instagram handle, the veteran cricketer is seen running hard, lifting weights in the gym and also fine-tuning his batting skills during a practice session. Dhawan shared the clip with a peppy Sidhu Moose Wala track and the caption:

“Work Hard And Make History.”

The opening batter created history when he became the first Indian captain to lead the Men in Blue to a whitewash in an ODI series in West Indies. A second-string Indian team thumped the West Indies 3-0 in July this year. Dhawan was the second-leading run-getter in the series, smashing 168 runs at an average of 56.

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Shikhar Dhawan likely to lead India in ODIs against South Africa

With the main white-ball squad set to travel to Australia for the T20 World Cup after the conclusion of the T20Is against South Africa, Dhawan is set to lead the one-day team.

After the T20I series, the Men in Blue will play three ODIs against the Proteas from October 6 to 11. The three matches will be played in Lucknow, Ranchi and Delhi.

While Dhawan is likely to be named captain, VVS Laxman is also set to step in as stand-in coach since India will need head coach Rahul Dravid’s services for the T20 World Cup Down Under.

According to some media reports, keeper-batter Sanju Samson is likely to be rewarded for his impressive recent performances by being named vice-captain for the South Africa one-dayers.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rahul Tripathi, Rajat Patidar, Rishi Dhawan and Shahbaz Ahmed are the other names who could find a place in Team India’s squad for the one-day series against South Africa.