New Delhi: India’s batter Shikhar Dhawan should be the definite starter for the 2023 50-over World Cup that will take place in India, according to batter wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik. Dhawan is currently leading the Men in Blue in the ODI series against New Zealand on their soil.
“I think so. From the kind of vibe I get, he is definitely a starter for the World Cup. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be having him around. He is on the other side of his 30s and they could have easily moved on from him. Just the fact that they have him shows that they are very keen about having him in the ODI team,” Karthik was quoted as saying on Cricbuzz.
In the first ODI, he amassed a half-century and also built a crucial 124-run stand for the opening wicket with Shubman Gill. Unfortunately, the Indian team lost the match by seven wickets at Eden Park in Auckland.
Karthik lauded Dhawan for always coming up in multi-nation tournaments on a regular basis. The left-hander has made 2605 runs from 58 matches at an average of 49.15 with eight centuries in ICC tournaments.
“He has been a gun player in ICC tournaments, somebody who rises to the occasion and he plays at a fair clip consistently. Even in the 2019 World Cup, he really did well before getting injured. So, he is somebody you can bank on unless something drastically changes in terms of his form completely falling off,” he stated.
“He is somebody you can trust as an opener as he knows his game plan. He uses the crease really well, he has got everything to play for, and most importantly, it would be another chance for him to lead a team before the IPL and that is something he will be looking forward to,” Karthik added.