Shikhar Dhawan was left out of India’s ODI squad for the Sri Lanka series after consistent performances from Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan, who hit a double hundred against Bangladesh. However, due to his prolific performance for India in the one-day format, it almost feels like the end of an era.
Even though Dhawan is still playing international cricket, he is getting older, so it may take a great IPL season for him to get back into the national reckoning. Additionally, he hasn’t played enough domestic cricket lately, making a comeback unlikely.
There has been a lot of discussion about how well Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma work together. However, the left-hander and Virat Kohli have also shared some memorable moments on the field.
Since their time playing age-group cricket together for Delhi, the duo has enjoyed a great deal of camaraderie.
In light of this, let’s take a look at three of Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan’s best ODI partnerships:
#3 158 vs. South Africa, Johannesburg, February 10, 2018
In the seven-match ODI series, India made history by defeating South Africa 5-1 in their own backyard. However, the only game in which Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan failed to win was this partnership.
Rohit Sharma, the team’s star opener, was dropped early after the visitors won the toss and chose to bat first. Dhawan, on the other hand, acted as the aggressor in his partnership with Kohli and allowed him time to settle.
The Indian captain at the time gradually joined in, and the two added 158 runs for the second wicket. Dhawan scored an impressive hundred, and it appeared to be that the group would wind up with a gigantic aggregate.
The hosts, on the other hand, re-entered the game with crucial breakthroughs.
The rain had an impact on South Africa’s chase, but Heinrich Klaasen and Andile Phehlukwayo continued their unbeaten streak in “Pink ODIs” with some incredible hitting.
#2 197* vs. Sri Lanka, Dambulla (August 20, 2017)
India’s top-order in one-day international cricket had a sensational year from about 2017 until the 2019 World Cup. Especially in run chases, they used to almost score runs just for fun.
One such clinical pursue was against Sri Lanka in Dambulla in 2017. The hosts reached 216 in their 50 overs, despite frequently losing wickets, and may have believed they would have a chance if they took early wickets.
Despite Rohit Sharma’s early dismissal, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli’s absolutely sensational batting continued. Dhawan, the former captain, was once again the aggressor, scoring a sensational 132* while remaining unbeaten on 82.
India cruised to a nine-wicket victory as the duo added an unbeaten 197 runs for the second wicket, denying Sri Lanka any opportunity to advance further.
#1 212 Vs Australia, Canberra, (January 20, 2016)
Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli’s best organization, tragically, arrived in a terrible reason against Australia in Canberra. Many people think that India should have won the game in Canberra, despite losing the series 4-1.
Australia posted a mammoth objective of 349. Rohit Sharma, a right-hander, was run out for 41, despite India’s quick start. Kohli and Dhawan put together some of the best batting in the game.
Both batters began to gradually drive the hosts out of the game and threatened to score hundreds, mocking the chase. However, despite the visitors losing by 25 runs due to a sudden collapse from the middle order, that partnership will always be remembered as one of their best.