Shikhar Dhawan, winner of 2011 ODI World Cup and a veteran of three World Cups, revealed the first five players picked in his dream ODI XI ahead of 2023 Asia Cup. Speaking on the ICC Review, Dhawan, one of the finest openers of all time in 50-over format, named ex-India skipper Virat Kohli as the best batsman in the world while picking him in his dream ODI XI. Dhawan also named India's all-format captain Rohit Sharma, calling him a proven player on the grand stage.
"The first (picked) is Virat of course. He is the best batter in the world and has been scoring runs like crazy," Dhawan told the ICC as he picked five players for his dream ODI XI.
"Rohit is a very experienced customer. He has scored lots of runs in ICC tournaments and bilateral (series) and he's a proven player," Dhawan added.
The senior left-hander went on to pick Australia left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc (219 wickets in 110 ODIs) and Afghanistan's spin sensation Rashid Khan (167 wickets in 89 ODIs ) in his dream ODI XI, saying both these bowlers have done well in India in the past and can be very impactful in the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 in India.
"I'll go for Mitchell Starc as he is one of the best fast bowlers (in the world). The fourth player will be Rashid Khan with his mystery action. I am sure he'll be very, very impactful (in India) and will take lots of wickets," Dhawan added.
Dhawan chose his Punjab Kings teammate, South Africa's right-arm pacer Kagiso Rabada (137 wickets in 89 ODIs) in his dream ODI XI to partner Starc. The star India opener also revealed why he decided to exclude modern-day pace bowling great, Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi in his list.
"Shaheen Afridi I wouldn't take because then there would be two left-arm pacers, so I'll go for Rabada. Rabada has that extra pace and extra bounce that is going to rush the batters," concluded Dhawan.