More Asian wickets is more practical journey for us to the World Cup 2023: Shikhar Dhawan

Veteran batter Shikhar Dhawan has said that India need to play more on Asian wickets in order to boost their preparations for the next year’s 50-overs World Cup at home. At the same time, he also mentioned that the upcoming bilateral series in Bangladesh will be one of the important preparations heading into the quadrennial event.

The first of the three-match ODI series in Bangladesh gets underway on Sunday, December 4. Meanwhile, the upcoming series will also mark the return of some of the senior players Virat Kohli, skipper Rohit Sharma, etc. who were rested for the New Zealand white-ball series.

In Bangladesh, all senior players will be back: Shikhar Dhawan

"In Bangladesh, all senior players will be back. That will be a more practical journey towards the World Cup. More Asian wickets is a more practical journey to the World Cup for us,” said Dhawan while speaking during the post-match interview.

"It is important to pick up the details, like where to pitch the ball and the lengths. We are a young unit, and they must have learnt about bowling in the good-length areas. We were on the shorter side. Also, taking the partnerships deep, especially when it's overcast," he added.

The third ODI was forced to be abandoned due to rain as a result of which the Kiwis ended up sealing the series 1-0. Even the last game was washed out and the hosts had registered a convincing seven-wicket victory in the series opener.

The Indian team would desperately need to focus on their bowling which has been a letdown throughout the One Day series. They would be hoping that all the bowlers collectively chip in and make a tremendous impact in the wickets column going forward.

Notably, the last time India had hosted a 50-overs World Cup in 2011, they came out on top to lift the coveted trophy with an emphatic six-wicket win over Asian rivals Sri Lanka at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. Apart from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had also co-hosted that edition of the showpiece event.