Shikhar Dhawan shares his take on KL Rahul’s captaincy, role of young players ahead of Zimbabwe tour

Shikhar Dhawan was set to lead Team India in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe. However, he has been relegated to vice-captaincy after KL Rahul’s late inclusion.

The 36-year-old Dhawan is happy that skipper Rahul will get the much-needed game time ahead of the all-important Asia Cup.

“It is a very good news that KL (Rahul) 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,” Dhawan said.

The team’s senior-most player Dhawan said that he is ready to lend a helping hand to the youngsters.

“I quite enjoy sharing my experience with the youngsters in the team. I first came here in 2014 (actually 2013), when Duncan Fletcher was the Indian coach. If they (youngsters) reach out to me for any suggestions, I am (always) there to answer them,” Dhawan said.

“Regardless of the team we are facing, we always make sure we do things right so that we end up getting the right results. That will once again be our focus as a team,” Dhawan said.

Dhawan praised senior Zimbabwean batter Sikandar Raza and said that the Indian bowlers will have to bowl smart against the latter to contain him at the right time.

“He is a very good player. He has been playing for Zimbabwe for a long time. He is a quality player. I am sure our bowlers with come up with nice plans against him,” he said.

Dhawan went on to add that the series against Zimbabwe will be crucial for a number of youngsters in the squad like Shubman Gill, Avesh Khan, and Ishan Kishan. According to him, the exposure they are getting will be extremely beneficial to them in the coming days.

“The youngsters, these days, have got more exposure. They are confident and they have got good technique. Their confidence level is quite high because of domestic and IPL. We feel that we have got so many options. It is a healthy sign for the team,” Dhawan said. 

(Inputs from PTI)

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