Shikhar Dhawan’s hitting form ahead of Australia tour assures Rohit Sharma

He had a low-key ODI series against the Windies which was a bit surprising after the phenomenal run he had in Asia Cup in September. However, left-hand opener Shikhar Dhawan was back to his form with a bang in the third and concluding T20I against the Windies in Chennai and it left his team members assured. Dhawan came very close to scoring his maiden hundred in T20Is but fell for 92 in the penultimate delivery of the match which India won by 6 wickets to pocket the series 3-0.

Rohit Sharma, who captained India in the series in the absence of regular captain Virat Kohli, said it was important for Dhawan to hit form ahead of the challenging tour of Australia starting later this month. He said it is always important to score some runs before such important tour, adding that Dhawan was batting well in the ODIs but could not change them into big scores.

Rohit said he was happy that his opening partner could eventually hit some runs before heading to Australia. Dhawan scored a couple of 30s and 20s in the ODI series and 43 in the second T20I in Lucknow.

India will play Australia in first T20I on Nov 21

India’s first game in Australia will the first of the three T20I games and it will be played in Brisbane on November 21. Though Dhawan has been discarded in the Tests for his unimpressive show, the batsman is certainly one of India’s leading scorers in the limited-overs versions. With the tour of Australia and the mega event of ICC World Cup lined up over the next several months, India will be deeply praying for Dhawan’s bat to do a lot of talking.

“It is always challenging when it comes to going out there and performing. Every time you go there, you are tested as a player, as an individual and as a team. Australia will be a different ball game,” Rohit said after the end of the series.

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