Shikhar Dhawan’s knock helped Punjab Kings post a formidable total [P/C: iplt20.com]
Aakash Chopra has highlighted that Shikhar Dhawan does not get the recognition commensurate with his achievements in the Indian Premier League.
Dhawan smashed an unbeaten 88 off 59 deliveries in last night’s IPL 2022 encounter between the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The veteran opener also became the second player to cross the 6000-run mark in the prestigious league in the process.
While reviewing the PBKS-CSK encounter in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was effusive in his praise for Dhawan, saying:
“The start was slow, the pitch was quite sticky and there only came my Player of the Match – Shikhar Dhawan. He is an amazing guy. He has scored more than 6000 IPL runs, played more than 200 matches, scored more than 1000 runs against Chennai. What more can he do but he still flows under the radar. No one talks about him.”
While lauding Dhawan’s consistency, the cricketer-turned-commentator feels the Delhi Capitals (DC) might have made a mistake by not retaining the southpaw. Chopra observed:
“He comes every season and scores 500-600 runs, makes good contributions but still, the team does not retain him. I am telling you Delhi’s loss is Punjab’s gain.”
Mohammad Kaif, who was the Delhi Capitals’ assistant coach last year, has acknowledged that the franchise let go of Dhawan with a heavy heart. There was apparently a toss-up between Prithvi Shaw and Dhawan, with the IPL 2020 finalists opting to go with the youngster.
“Only singles at the start” – Aakash Chopra on Shikhar Dhawan pacing his innings to perfection
Shikhar Dhawan hit nine fours and two sixes during his knock [P/C: iplt20.com]
Aakash Chopra also had a word of praise for Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who scored an attacking 32-ball 42. He elaborated:
“He (Dhawan) batted extremely well, only singles at the start. The pitch was asking tough questions. When Mayank got out, it seemed the game might get stuck but there comes Bhanuka Rajapaksa, he got lives, but who cares.”
The 44-year-old concluded by saying that Dhawan’s unbeaten 88 was worth more than a century. Chopra reasoned:
“After starting slowly, Shikhar’s wagon started gathering pace. He shuffled very well, moved towards the off-stump and played the balls on the leg side, straight hits towards the end. 88 not out on a difficult pitch is sometimes actually more than a century. Shikhar Dhawan was actually stellar in my opinion.”
Dhawan and Rajapaksa strung together a 110-run partnership for the second wicket after Mayank Agarwal’s dismissal. Liam Livingstone then struck a few lusty blows as PBKS reached a score of 187/4, which proved enough in the end.
