Shikhar Dhawan is currently one of the best white-ball openers in the world right now. But there is more to Dhawan that his breathtaking square cuts and thunderous cover drives. The left-hander is quite popular on social media and knows how to entertain his fans off the field as well. When Dhawan was in conversation with former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan on Wednesday, there was bound to entertainment. The fun doubled when Irfan put Dhawan in the host seat in a rapid-fire round.
From picking the best Indian captain to naming the his favourite batting partner and the best Indian batsman currently, Dhawan was asked direct questions and the opener came out in flying colours.
Dhawan, who made his debut under Dhoni in all formats of the game, picked India’s two-time World Cup-winning captain – 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup – as best Indian captain he has played under.
“(Best batting partner will be) Rohit Sharma… I have only played under Virat and Dhoni, so, as of now, Dhoni bhai,” Dhawan told Irfan.
In the 21 Test, 66 ODIs and 24 T20Is that Dhawan has played under Kohli, the opener has scored 1419, 2873 and 634 runs respectively. He has played 12 Test, 56 ODIs and 21 T20Is under Dhoni scoring 789, 2217 and 411 runs respectively.
In reality, Dhawan has played under 5 Indian captains and not only Kohli and Dhoni. He has played under Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and also Ajinkya Rahane.
Dhawan termed skipper Virat Kohli as the ‘best current Indian batsman’. Dhawan also praised Sharma for his phenomenal performance in the last year’s ICC World Cup saying that “Rohit did brilliantly in the World Cup as he scored five centuries.”
When Pathan asked Dhawan to name the toughest bowler he has ever faced, the latter named Australian pacer Mitchell Starc.
Dhawan also expressed his views on the Indian Premier League (IPL) saying that the league should take place as people are currently surrounded by just the coronavirus news and fear regarding the virus.
“Of course, IPL should take place because people will get positivity from it. Currently, there is only coronavirus news and fear because of it,” Dhawan said.
The 2020 edition of the league was slated to commence on March 29, however, it has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus crisis in the country.
