Leaving Shikhar Dhawan on the bench in S.A ODIs makes no sense, according to Gautam Gambhir.

Leaving Shikhar Dhawan on the bench in S.A ODIs makes no sense, according to Gautam Gambhir.

According to Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan has a fantastic opportunity in South Africa.

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir believes that leaving Shikhar Dhawan out of the ODI squad will be a disaster. Dhawan was named to the ODI squad for the three-match series against South Africa, and he batted in the first game as well.

The 36-year-old did not play in the T20 World Cup. Which was held in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Apart from playing in the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy, he hasn’t had enough match practice. Apart from that, he only appeared for India in a three-match One-Day International series in March of last year and a limited-overs series in Sri Lanka. He also appeared for the Delhi Capitals in both halves of the IPL 2021.

Meanwhile, Gambhir mentioned Dhawan’s social media presence, noting that the latter has ten times the number of Instagram followers as the population of Gurugram, where he lives.

“Shikhar Dhawan is a social media sensation. He has nearly 10 million Instagram followers. Which is nearly ten times the population of Gurugram, where he now resides. I’d say there’s something for everyone on his Instagram handle. There are fitness videos, dancing videos with his mother, dubsmash videos, and a video of Shikhar playing the flute with perhaps his Guru,” Gambhir wrote for the TOI.

Also Read: India’s playing XI for the first ODI against South Africa.

Shikhar Dhawan has a fantastic opportunity in South Africa: Gautam Gambhir

In addition, Former India opener Virat Kohli compared Dhawan’s flute notes to typical left-hander cover drives. He also expressed hope that Dhawan will be able to put his poor batting performance during the Vijay Hazare Trophy behind him.

“Trust me, it’s an absolute delight. All notes are in their proper place. Just like a perfectly struck left-handed cover drive with the bat ending on his right shoulder.” What a treat it will be to see him translate his social media persona onto the field. In South Africa, he has a fantastic opportunity. I’m not a big believer in aging and all that. His detractors argue that at the age of 36, Indian cricket should look beyond Shikhar Dhawan.

Also Visit: Updates on the 1st ODI between India and South Africa: South Africa has decided to bat first.

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