[Watch] "Champions never sleep" - Team India opener Shikhar Dhawan gives fans a glimpse of his recent practice session

Team India's senior opening batter Shikhar Dhawan was spotted sweating it out in the nets during a practice session on Saturday, October 29.

Dhawan posted a video on his Instagram account in which he can be seen practising while gearing up for his upcoming assignments. The southpaw not only batted, but also worked on his running between the wickets.

Shikhar Dhawan captioned the post:

"Champions never sleep, the eternal spirit keeps them alert and awake! #PracticeSession"

Dhawan was last seen in action during India's three-match home ODI series against South Africa earlier this month. The seasoned campaigner was appointed as the stand-in captain for the rubber, with regular skipper Rohit Sharma in Australia for the T20 World Cup 2022.

However, the left-handed batter struggled for form against the Proteas, mustering just 25 runs from three matches with a dismal average of 8.33. While he failed to perform with the bat, he was praised by many for his captaincy as the Men in Blue secured a 2-1 series victory.

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Shikhar Dhawan has failed to make it to India's Test and T20 teams lately

Shikhar Dhawan has an impressive record in international cricket across formats. However, the 36-year-old has lost his place in India's Test and T20 teams, with the team management backing skipper Rohit Sharma and vice-captain KL Rahul at the top.

The veteran batter's last appearance in T20Is dates back to July 2021. Dhawan was out for a golden duck in the fixture against Sri Lanka and since then, has remained absent from India's T20 lineup.

Furthermore, he hasn't played a Test match since September 2018. He has been a regular fixture in the ODI team though and has also been given captaincy stints in the format in the absence of Sharma.

While he has been a consistent performer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the years, the national selectors have ignored him for the shortest format. Dhawan was the top run-getter for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in this year's cash-rich league, scoring 460 runs from 14 matches.