Just like other youngsters, Shikhar Dhawan will also be auditioning for the reserve opener’s slot in the Indian T20 World Cup side, says VVS Laxman.
VVS Laxman warns Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan is the captain of the limited-overs side facing Sri Lanka in ODI and T20 series starting on July 13
“Shikhar Dhawan will be very clear that he has to use this opportunity – especially keeping in mind the T20 World Cup, there is so much stiff competition,” Laxman said on Star Sports show ‘Game Plan’.
“So, while he is excited being the captain of the Indian team – and anyone will be proud to lead their country – but his focus will be to score runs and put his spot in a secure position,” opined Laxman.
With skipper Virat Kohli also opening for RCB in the IPL, it does get tougher for the Delhi Capitals Dhawan to make an inroad into the shortest format squad.
“There is Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, who are established opening batsmen. Virat Kohli, very clearly mentioned that he wants to open in T20 formats. So, Shikhar Dhawan has to be amongst runs,” added the stylish former right-handed batsman from Hyderabad.
Dhawan, who is leading the Indian team for the first time, during the pre-departure press conference, had said that it was a great honour for him to be the captain of the Indian team and he was looking forward to it. However, in the same vein, Laxman feels that the southpaw was being rewarded for his consistency.
“He (Dhawan) is being rewarded for his consistent performance for the Indian Team, especially in white-ball cricket and he is the most experienced player in this squad,” Laxman added.
Sri Lanka vs India ODI Schedule
| S.No. | Date | Match | Venue |
| 1 | 13th July | 1st ODI | Colombo |
| 2 | 16th July | 2nd ODI | Colombo |
| 3 | 18th July | 3rd ODI | Colombo |
Sri Lanka vs India T20I Series
| S.No. | Date | Match | Venue |
| 1 | 21st July | 1st T20I | Colombo |
| 2 | 23rd July | 2nd T20I | Colombo |
| 3 | 25th July | 3rd T20I | Colombo |
India’s squad
Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (Wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (Wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Vice-captain), Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya
Net Bowlers
Ishan Porel, Sandeep Warrier, Arshdeep Singh, Sai Kishore, Simarjeet Singh
