Cricket fraternity extends warm wishes to Shikhar Dhawan on his 36th birthday

The cricket community extended its warm wishes to Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan as he turned 36 on Sunday. Dhawan was last seen on the cricket field during IPL 2021 when he opened the innings for the Delhi Capitals.

Dhawan has been overlooked for the Indian T20 team even though he has performed phenomenally in the IPL over the last few years.

The emergence of younger, more aggressive opening batters like KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan has been the prime reason behind the snubbing of Dhawan in the T20I format. However, the veteran batter is still the first choice opener in one-day internationals.

Shikhar Dhawan's former and current teammates were quick to wish him a happy birthday through their official social media handles.

Prithvi Shaw, his opening partner at the Delhi Capitals, led the wishes by posting a special message on Instagram. Soon, other cricketers joined Shaw in wishing 'Gabbar' a wonderful birthday.

Cricketing community sends special wishes to Shikhar Dhawan on his 36th birthday

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Shikhar Dhawan is a bank of 500-600 runs, a lot of teams will be interested in him at mega auction: Aakash Chopra

Delhi Capitals recently released Shikhar Dhawan from their squad ahead of the mega auction as they opted to retain Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel and Anrich Nortje.

Dhawan has had a stellar record in the IPL in the last few seasons, which makes him a potentially hot commodity in the upcoming mega auction.

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra also echoed similar views as he believes multiple teams will be vying for an opportunity to sign the 36-year-old at the auction.

"Shikhar Dhawan is a bank of 500-600 runs. He has scored runs in Indian as well as in overseas conditions. He gives a rocket start in the T20s. A lot of teams will be interested in him.

"We might see a David-Dhawan (David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan) reunion in the next IPL. Ahmedabad franchise might buy both of them," said Aakash Chopra in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel.

Shikhar Dhawan was the fourth-highest run-scorer in IPL 2021. He amassed 587 runs across 16 games at an average of 39.13 and played a vital role in the Delhi Capitals campaign this season.