Runs weren't exactly flowing from his bat before the hundred in the Asia Cup opener against Hong Kong, but Indian batsman Shikhar Dhawan claims that he was never out of form.
Virat Kohli too has stated that choosing between Dhawan and Rahul will be a tough call
The International Cricket Council confirmed that the Event Technical Committee of the men's World Cup 2019 has approved Rishabh Pant as a replacement player for Shikhar Dhawan in India's squad for the remainder of the tournament.
Catching in the slip region could be a serious challenge for Shikhar Dhawan after recovering from his hand injury, feels India's fielding coach R Sridhar.
India opener Shikhar Dhawan, who hit a century on his debut Test at Mohali, is likely to miss the fourth and final Test against Australia in Delhi after hurting his fingers during the tourists second innings of the third Test in Mohali, on Monday.
India, missing their top players, aim to punch above their weight and seal a memorable series victory against South Africa in the third and final ODI in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan's attractive stroke-play vindicated skipper Virat Kohli's decision to bat first as India comfortably amassed 239 for no loss at stumps on the first day of their one-off Test against Bangladesh in Fatullah.
Man of the Match for his 113 not out off 111 balls, Shreyas Iyer said, "I am ecstatic. When I went in to bat, I spoke to Ishan and he was of the mindset to take on the bowlers. So we decided to play the ball on merit and see how it goes.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya returned to the Indian squad for the three-match ODI series against South Africa after a six-month injury lay-off along with fit-again senior opener Shikhar Dhawan and seasoned seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. This was the first selection meeting under new chairman Sunil Joshi. However, vice-captain Rohit Sharma is yet to fully recuperate from his calf muscle injury and is expected to return to action during the Indian Premier League later this month.
Sarfaraz recalled how the side regrouped under the guidance of senior players like Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez, something he feels that the present Pakistan side will need too.
Shikhar Dhawan said he discussed his batting with Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting which helped him get back among the runs and convert his 20s and 30s into centuries
The view on having Pant on board, if Dhawan is ousted, was echoed by former England batsman Kevin Pietersen.
Images from the sixth One-Day International between India and Australia, in Nagpur, on Wednesday.
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the three-match T20Is and ODIs against West Indies but has been included in the Test squad, while veteran wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is 'unavailable' for the entire tour.
h Ravi Shastri shared a picture with opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan on Sunday
Fractured finger, swollen neck, bruised eye and gashed knee, Shikhar Dhawan endured a painful 2019 but the India opener is ready to make a fresh start reminding one that he 'hasn't forgotten how to bat'. Dhawan, who will be leading Delhi in their Ranji Trophy game against Hyderabad, is back after recovering from a knee injury sustained during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which required 25 stitches.
'We knew they are a great side and the match will go down to the wire. We need to continue ticking the boxes in upcoming matches'
The Board of Control for Cricket in India's selection committee will meet on Saturday in Mumbai to pick the squad for the next month's Champions Trophy.
Rahul shared a picture on Instagram where he can be seen sharpening his skills ahead of the opening match.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan struck his second successive fifty to guide India to a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the Twenty20 Tri-Series match in Colombo on Thursday.
The national selection committee announced the squad for the two-Test series against the West Indies.
'There are challenges of being in the bubble, you do not meet new people. People have to be mentally strong'
Opener Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out of the upcoming three-match T20I series against West Indies with an injury and was replaced by Kerala's wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson.
Contrasting centuries from Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane helped Rest of India reach a commanding 400 for three against Rajasthan at stumps on the opening day of the Irani Cup match.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya was named as India's T20I captain for the three-match series against Sri Lanka, with Rohit Sharma retaining the ODI leadership role.
India opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan says the current Test squad will only get better with time as they gain in experience, adding the New Zealand tour is another learning curve for them.
India opener Shikhar Dhawan said there is 'no shame' in his disastrous run of form in the Tests against England as his plans did not work out despite giving his all.
IMAGES from the IPL match played between Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers Hyderabad in New Delhi on Thursday
Shikhar Dhawan's injury has unintentionally forced India to go for a tactical rejig despite convincing victories in the first two games against South Africa and Australia.
Australia's David Warner and India duo Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli were found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the fourth day's play in the first cricket Test, which the hosts won by 48 runs.
Images from the first One-Day International between New Zealand and India, in Auckland, on Friday.
The first game in the three match One Day International series between India and West Indies will be played at the Queen's Park Oval Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad, starting 1900 IST.
'It all depends on whether we have the money in our pockets.'
It will be a rare occasion when two India squads will be playing in different countries at the same time. The Virat Kohli-led side will be preparing for the five-match Test series against England at the same time.
Pant is part of the Indian Test squad and may not be available after the first few games while Dhawan is expected to play all matches.
IMAGES from the 2nd ODI played between Zimbabwe and India in Harare on Saturday.
Since first opening the batting together in January 2023, the duo has been prolific in 50 overs cricket.
His brilliant 73-run knock in the warm-up game against South Africa might have fallen just short of ensuring a win for India, but opener Shikhar Dhawan said the crucial time he had spent at the crease has made him more "wiser" ahead of their ICC World Twenty20 campaign. Chasing a steep 197 for win, Dhawan smashed 73 off 53 balls before retiring but the knock was not enough to take India home as the hosts fell short by four runs at the Wankhede Stadium last night. "As (an) individual, it was a good learning for me as I batted till the 15th-16th over, so with my calculation for the next coming games, I will be more better. It was a good learning for me and I got more wiser," Dhawan told reporters at the post-match conference on Saturday night. Asked why despite having some of the best finishers of the game, India failed to cross the hurdle, the 30-year-old left-hander said, "Certainly, these are normal things. It does not happen that the best finishers will always guarantee you to complete the task. Everyone gave their best and that's what matters. "We were chasing such a big total, and wickets fell early on, after that there was a good partnership and came so close. It was only a matter of two runs. We learnt a lot from this game. What we have learnt, will be implemented in the future."
Shikhar Dhawan struck a sublime hundred in the nick of time as India delivered yet again in a series decider to beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the third ODI and record their eighth successive win in a bilateral contest.
21-year-old fast bowler Mayank Yadav announced himself on the biggest stage, the IPL, with a fiery debut for the Lucknow Super Giants.
