Shikhar Dhawan begins ICC Champions Trophy preparations

Just after the Board of Control for cricket in India (BCCI) released the squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, a turmoil broke on social media. Many Indian cricket fans questioned the BCCI regarding Gautam Gambhir’s omission from the squad. Skipper of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Gautam Gambhir has performed brilliantly in the tenth edition of the IPL.

But Dhawan was India’s best performer with the bat in the last Champions Trophy. He also had been performing well this year for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. In 14 matches, he has scored 479 runs with an average of over 35. He also boasts of a healthy strike rate of above 125. Considering his current run of form and his previous performance in England in the Champions Trophy, selectors found it unjust to remove him from the team.

Sunrisers were eliminated from the IPL by Gautam Gambhir‘s team KKR. But ‘Gabbar’ is not in a mood to take rest. He is determined to succeed and has started preparing for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. Shikhar Dhawan’s form for the Indian national team recently has not been sublime, but Dhawan-Sharma opening pair is the one that many teams will be wary of.

Shikhar uploaded a picture on the social media platform Instagram. He is driving his car as he was heading over to the gym. The caption of the picture said- “Off to gym guys..starting preparing for champions trophy now!!”

India in ICC Champions Trophy 2017

India is placed in Group B alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa. The two-time champions of the tournament (once shared with Sri Lanka) will begin their campaign against Pakistan on 4th June at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Pakistan holds an upper-hand over India in this tournament in the ratio 2:1, and India will have to rely on performances from Dhawan at the top of the order to restore parity.