Shikhar Dhawan finally breaks his silence after KL Rahul is named Indian captain for Zimbabwe ODIs
The consistent changes in the team have been the highlight of the Indian team in 2022. India is trying and testing each and every player in different series. Thus, we have seen a total of seven players captaining the side this year alone, which is the most ever in Indian history in one year.
Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Hardik Pandya (last T20I) captained the team on the West Indies tour. However, Shikhar Dhawan was supposed to lead the side on the Zimbabwe tour as well. But at the last moment, the BCCI changed it and gave it to KL Rahul.
Notably, the Indian board named Dhawan as the captain when the squad was announced earlier. But later, after Rahul passed the fitness test, the board gave him the captaincy, and Dhawan was given the vice-captain role. Rahul was not in the scheme of things earlier.
However, it came as a surprise to many, and in addition, he was also given the captaincy. The 30-year-old hasn't played any cricket since the IPL due to injury and COVID. He is part of the Asia Cup squad, so it will be the right opportunity for him to make a strong comeback.
The first match will be played on Thursday, August 18, and both Dhawan and Rahul are likely to open the innings for India. The changing of the captaincy and appointing Rahul as the captain didn't go well with many former cricketers and they have criticised this decision.
However, the veteran Indian left-hander also opened up on this ahead of the first match. In the pre-match conference, Dhawan said, "It is a very good news that KL is back and will be leading the side as well. He is one of the main players of this Indian team. It will be a good outing for him before the Asia Cup gets underway. I am sure he will gain a lot from this tour."
The veteran opener, who captained India to victory against the West Indies, stated that he looks forward to assisting youngsters if they require assistance. He said that when he made his debut for India in 2013, it was Duncan Fletcher, who was the head coach of the side, who helped him. And he enjoys sharing his experience with young players and helping them.