Picture Credit: Twitter
Shikhar Dhawan, Punjab Kings’ skipper for the 16th edition of Indian Premier League, showcased his batting skills to take over the Royals on Wednesday. He seamlessly overshadowed Royals’ skipper Sanju Samson’s powerful knock and notched up his first IPL half century in 2023 season. The senior PBKS batter played a blistering knock of 86 off 56 balls and sealed a win against the Samson-led team. The batter earned praises and applause from fans and also from the cricket fraternity.
Joining the lot was World Cup-winning former India spinner, Harbhajan Singh who was all praise for the PBKS captain. He didn’t only back the batter but also questioned his snub from India’s white-ball squad. Harbhajan said that it isn’t the right way to treat someone who has contributed so much to the nation’s cricket.
He said, "Shikhar has also led the Indian side in many tours but suddenly we saw that after the role of Shikhar was over, he was sidelined as if he is not needed anymore. I felt bad on seeing this because the treatment for everyone should be the same. He is a big player and has given too much to Indian cricket."
"You cannot treat him like this. He played a good knock of 86 in 56 balls. I will not name anyone here. For instance, let's take Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli, or KL Rahul who are big names. You gave them plenty of chances but on the other hand, there is no place for Shikhar Dhawan in the team now. He has always contributed for the team. Then why he is not getting a chance in the Indian team? Talking about fitness, he is as fit as Virat Kohli," he further added.
Dhawan was dropped for the ODI series against Sri Lanka in January this year. Earlier, he captained Team India in their parallel international tours in 2022. The 37-year-old-led PBKS, who are on their winning high, will now cross paths with Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 9 (Sunday).
