Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has credited Shikhar Dhawan highly for being a great left-hander for India like Sourav Ganguly and Gautam Gambhir.
Bangar is of the opinion that Dhawan has not been credited fully for playing so well in the ODI format.
Shikhar Dhawan is currently leading India for a 3-match ODI series against South Africa while the Rohit Sharma-led T20I side has departed for Australia for the T20 World Cup.
The left-hander is leading a young team today against South Africa at Lucknow.
Looking at Dhawan’s overall ODI record, then he has 6647 runs from 158 matches with an average of 45 and has struck 17 tons and 38 half-centuries. This year, Dhawan has 542 runs from 13 matches and an average very close to 50.
Says Bangar,
A couple of things, obviously he hasn’t got the accolades that he deserves as an ODI cricketer. If you think of great left-handers who have played for the country, you think of Sourav Ganguly at the top, Gautam Gambhir and who next? The kind of consistency that he has in this format is absolutely phenomenal.
Although Dhawan is no longer a part of India’s Test and T20I setups, he still has ODI cricket on his hands.
In fact, Dhawan has already stated in an interview that he is aiming for the 2023 ODI World Cup.
The 2023 ODI World Cup will be held solely in India in the month of October-November.
Sanjay Bangar further added that Dhawan’s happy-go-lucky attitude and ability to stay in the present are his key strengths.
Adds Bangar,
He is somebody who is a very happy-go-lucky guy. He doesn’t really regret a lot of things that has happened in the past. That’s his mindset, that’s his outlook towards life. He values what he has in his hands. He has got ODI cricket in his hands.
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