Sunil Gavaskar praises Shikhar Dhawan for dismissing age-talk and delivering with the bat

Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has praised Shikhar Dhawan for dismissing age-talk and delivering with the bat in India’s win in the first ODI against England in Pune on Tuesday.

After a failure in the first T20I at Ahmedabad, Shikhar Dhawan lost his place in the side. There have been murmurs in the cricket fraternity about whether India should persist with the left-hander, as he will be 37 by the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Playing in the first ODI against England, Shikhar Dhawan top-scored with a 106-ball 98 to set up an Indian win.

“Yes, there has been so much talk about his age. He is 35, and he will turn 36 in December. ‘Should he be there for the next World Cup look at 2023?’ All those talks would have been around. To forget all that and focus on what he can do best was good to see,” Gavaskar told Star Sports after the match.

“Also, to have Rohit Sharma with whom he had terrific partnerships around would have been of great help.”

Sunil Gavaskar echoes Virat Kohli’s thoughts on Shikhar Dhawan

During the presentation ceremony, Virat Kohli also praised Shikhar Dhawan for displaying a fantastic attitude and motivating his teammates even after he was benched for the T20Is.

Sunil Gavaskar echoed the Indian captain’s thoughts and mentioned how Dhawan took the initiative early on. The 71-year-old said:

“This time around, Rohit was not as fluent as he normally is. Shikhar Dhawan took the initiative to keep the scoreboard moving. Once he middled a few shots, his confidence returned. His confidence was sky-high after that, and then he started playing shots that we know he is capable of.

“That lofted six over extra-cover of Moeen Ali was a terrific shot. Good to see somebody who works hard, somebody who the captain said is a fine team man, succeed.”

Shikhar Dhawan was awarded the Player of the Match for his efforts. India will take on England in the second ODI on Friday. A win would help India seal the series.