Shikhar Dhawan to play Vijay Hazare Trophy for Delhi after South Africa T20I series

India and Delhi opener Shikhar Dhawan recently made his comeback to the Indian team in the limited-overs series against the West Indies but failed to do much. This was his first series in India jersey, after his World Cup 2019 campaign came to an early end after he broke his thumb during his century innings against Australia at the Kennington Oval.

Dhawan has shown a return to form after a disappointing West Indies tour, as he scored a nice 40 in the second T20I against South Africa, which was played in Mohali. He was looking good, but his innings came to an end thanks to a brilliant catch by David Miller, giving Tabraiz Shamsi his only wicket of the match. However, it will be the Delhi side that will be happy with Dhawan’s latest announcement.

Will play in Vijay Hazare Trophy for Delhi, says Dhawan

The third T20I between India and South Africa will be played on September 22 in Bengaluru and then the three Tests series will begin from October 2nd with the first Test in Visakhapatnam. But Shikhar Dhawan has not been named in the Test squad for this series like he was omitted from the West Indies Test series as well. Therefore, the left-hander has announced that he will play for Delhi in the domestic one-day tournament starting on September 24.

“Now even after this series, I am going to play Vijay Hazare as well. I am looking forward to that. I make sure that whatever cricket I play, I play with all my heart whether it’s Ranji, Vijay Hazare or the Indian team,” Dhawan was quoted as saying by News 18. The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), on Wednesday announced the squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which saw Dhruv Shorey being named the captain of the side.

Also named in the squad are wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and fast bowler Navdeep Saini. While the 21-year-old Pant is also named in Test squad versus the Proteas, Saini is yet to make a mark in the five-day format. As far as Dhawan is concerned, he wanted to make use of the free time while not playing international cricket.

“I had free time since I was not in the Test team, so thought rather than sitting at home or training, play matches which are good for my confidence and my skill levels. Match practice is the best practice so I thought it’s a good opportunity for me to go and express myself. I was not part of the Test team so I had the opportunity,” Dhawan further mentioned.

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