IPL 2019: Kris Srikkanth feels Shikhar Dhawan’s poor form affecting Delhi Capitals’ performance

Delhi Capitals owners, with much fanfare, had changed the name of the franchise, the design of the logo and brought in a new look support staff to help rebuild the Delhi franchise under the leadership of Ricky Ponting and captain Shreyas Iyer for the Indian Premier League 2019 season.

In the auctions, DC went for a complete overhaul in the team during the IPL 2019 auction and acquired quite a strong Indian core. With a mix of young Indian players and experienced foreigners, the DC team looked for an experienced Indian player to guide the young team during the new IPL season. That’s where, they traded three of their players to Sunrisers and acquired opener Shikhar Dhawan, who had started his IPL career with the then-named Delhi Daredevils.

A lot was expected from the attacking opener, but his performances have been below par in the first six matches that the Capitals have played. Dhawan has scored 152 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 116, which might look good on paper, but it has, in turn, put pressure on other batsmen to score quickly to make up for lost time.

Kris Srikkanth believes Dhawan must find his form for DC to succeed consistently

Former India opener and captain Kris Srikkanth feels that Dhawan’s lack of form is hurting the Capitals and is one of the reasons why they have not won games consistently. “One look at the composition of the Delhi Capitals squad and one would note that they should have done better by this stage. The main reason for their under-par performance, is my opinion, is the poor form of opener Shikhar Dhawan. As an opener, you thrive on confidence and Dhawan, with the World Cup approaching, seems to be short of it. Dhawan should have made better use of the hardball and field restrictions,” Srikkanth wrote in his column for the Times of India.

“Delhi’s batting looks solid and someone like Dhawan should be the flag bearer, leading the charge. A lot will depend on Dhawan’s rhythm in the coming games if Delhi is hoping for a quick turnaround. Unlike previous seasons, Delhi has struck a fine balance. With youngsters like Prithvi Shaw & Co. finding their feet, they should do better and a lot of that would depend on how Dhawan carries the team forward,” he added.

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