India batting icons Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman tell Harish Kotian what opener Shikhar Dhawan must do to regain lost form.
The left-hander's classy 92 off 62 balls guided India to the brink of victory, and he was helped by powerful hitting from Rishab Pant, whose 58-run knock was part of the 130-run partnership that formed the backbone of the Indian chase.
Having regained his form with two unbeaten knocks in the league stage of the cricket World Cup, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has gained two spots to be placed eight in the latest ICC batting rankings.
PHOTOS of the IPL 2023 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Shikhar Dhawan set the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur alight as India beat the West Indies by five wickets in the final One-day International and clinched the three-match series 2-1 on Wednesday. After the home side restricted the visitors to 263 for 5, the dashing opener scored a breezy 119 off 95 deliveries to overhaul the target with 23 balls to spare.
While fasting on Wednesday, the second day of Ramzan, Khaleel and Afghan stars Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi played the Eliminator that night against the Delhi Capitals.
India opener Shikhar Dhawan exuded confidence ahead of India's crucial tour of South Africa, saying the team will go into the series well prepared and the experience of playing South African pacers in the IPL will prove beneficial.
India's opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan says his ability to deal with failures has helped him immensely in his five-year-old international career.
After a record opening stand, the visitors falter in the final two sessions of the first day of the Kandy Test.
Images from Day 1 of the first Test between Sri Lanka and India in Galle, on Wednesday.
Consistency has always been a problem with Shikhar Dhawan since his first-class debut back in 2004 but after his maiden call-up to the Indian Test squad, the Delhi left-hander is determined not to let this chance go abegging.
Young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant was on Wednesday brought in as standby for the injured Shikhar Dhawan in India's World Cup squad.
With most of the power-hitters in isolation after Krunal Pandya's COVID-19 positive case, India could score just 132 for 5 on a slow track. Sri Lanka chased down the total with two balls to spare and won by four wickets.
He will have to fight it out with the in-form KL Rahul and a solid Murali Vijay for one of the opening slots in the playing XI of the Test team but Shikhar Dhawan terms the competition "good for Indian cricket" and finds "nothing wrong with it". "I am aware that there could be three players for two (opening) spots. But there is nothing wrong in it. In fact it is good for Indian cricket. To have healthy competitions among players for places in the team is good for Indian cricket and the game in general.
BCCI Medical Team has assessed KL Rahul and cleared him to play in the upcoming three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe.
Having given ample demonstration of his appetite for notching up big scores, India's batting sensation Shikhar Dhawan on Tuesday said he has become mentally strong, and that his shot selection has got better in the past one year.
It will be interesting to see if India bring back regular opener Shikhar Dhawan for the crucial semi-final match against South Africa or persist with Ajinkya Rahane at the ICC World T20.
India carried its domination from the Test series into the One-day format and achieved its biggest ever win in terms of overs left while chasing a 200-plus total.
It was his knock of 116 that guided India to an imposing 294 for eight and paved the way for an easy 58-run victory in the second ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare, on Friday.
Shikhar Dhawan's poor technique in testing conditions along with the fitness status of Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin will come up for discussion when the selectors pick the Indian team for the two-Test series against the West Indies.
With Shikhar Dhawan back in form in the shortest format, the Indian team management and captain Virat Kohli will have the headache of picking from three in-form openers
The first game in the five match T20I series between India and the West Indies will be played at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad, starting 2000 IST.
A roundup of the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day matches played on Saturday.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI in the second T20 International against England on Sunday?
Fit-again India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is attempting to make his comeback by taking part in the D Y Patil T20 tournament, starting in Mumbai, on Monday. Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are also on their road to recovery after sustaining injuries.
Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma struck scintillating half-centuries during a record 158-run partnership and powered India to a formidable 202 for three.
The second One-day International between India and New Zealand in Hamilton on Sunday was abandoned because of rain.
Shubman Gill was unlucky to miss out on a maiden century but India rode on his sublime 98 to outclass West Indies by 119 runs and complete a 3-0 rout in the ODI series at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad on Wednesday.
Statistical highlights of the ICC Champions Trophy match between India and Sri Lanka, in London.
'We have learnt a lot of things. Especially when we played in Kolkata (during first Test against SL) and in Dharamsala (first ODI)'
Quinton de Kock scored a superb century as South Africa completed a clean sweep of their three-match one-day international series against India with a tense four-run victory at Newlands on Sunday.
The first One-Day International between India and Sri Lanka witnessed important milestones being set and new records being made.
India will expect a better approach from skipper Shikhar Dhawan and young Shubman Gill in the Powerplay overs when the team clashes with New Zealand in a do-or-die second One-Day International, in Hamilton, on Sunday.
Top India batsman Shikhar Dhawan saw it as a historic day of celebration, while former cricketer Mohammed Kaif reminded the country of its culture of peaceful coexistence as sportspersons reacted to the bhoomi pujan ceremony for a temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya.
Like Kohli did, Rahul took 53 innings to cross the 2,000 run mark.
In awe of Virat Kohli's meteoric rise, Indian Team Director Ravi Shastri on Thursday said the swashbuckling batsman seems like a mirror-image of West Indian great Viv Richards.
'Dhawan is a very strong contender while is miles ahead of his peers in terms of being an impact performer'
The 34-year-old said their off-the-field chemistry has worked well for them.
'The opening combination should not be tweaked. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are the ideal pair to give India a fast start. But K L Rahul is also there'
Head coach VVS Laxman kept a close on the proceedings during the practice session as the players went through the grind.
