Rohit Sharma & Shikhar Dhawan – a batting duo which once was a reckoning force in ODIs for India. Beginning their partnership at the top of the order in 2013, they accumulated 5,148 runs and were the fourth opening pair across the world to breach the 5000-run in the 50-over format. They were one of the architects of India’s last ICC title win – the Champions Trophy – and have produced terrific starts to the team on multiple occasions. But with the insurgence of talented young players, Dhawan lost his spot in the team.
Despite going out of favour, Dhawan has been active in franchise cricket and will soon be seen leading the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The veteran batter credits his ex-batting partner Rohit for a lot of his success in international cricket on top of the order.
“My collaboration with Rohit & his support at the other end at the top of the order has been instrumental in providing strong starts to the team, setting the foundation for successful chases and big totals. I seriously give credit for a lot of my best performances to Rohit’s support,” Dhawan was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
“Rohit on the other end gives that sense of comfort and assurance. I think our best innings was a 193-run opening stand against Australia in the fourth ODI at Mohali in 2019 & the second best will be against Pakistan in the 2018 Asia Cup in Dubai where we put together a 210-run stand for the first wicket,” Dhawan added.
The 38-year-old last played for India back in 2022. He scored 3 off 8 balls in a match where wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan struck a record-setting double century (210) against Bangladesh at Chattogram.
