Harbhajan Singh voices his support for the PBKS captain, condemning how Shikhar Dhawan has been treated and criticizing his omission from the Indian team.

       Harbhajan Singh, a former spinner who has won the World Cup, has expressed his support for Shikhar Dhawan in light of his exclusion from the ODI team. Singh believes that Dhawan, who has made significant contributions to Indian cricket, deserves better treatment. Singh's comments were prompted by Dhawan's outstanding performance of an unbeaten 86 runs off 56 balls for Punjab Kings in their second victory of IPL 2023 against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on Wednesday, April 5th.

      Harbhajan Singh strongly criticized the selection committee and Indian team management, expressing his discontent with how Shikhar Dhawan has been treated in the lead-up to the ODI World Cup. Dhawan had been leading India's second-string teams during a hectic schedule in 2021 and 2022 in the absence of key players. However, he was subsequently dropped from the ODI side after the tour of Bangladesh in December 2022, which Singh finds unacceptable.

 

      During the home series against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Australia, Shikhar Dhawan was not included in the Indian team, as Shubman Gill was chosen as the preferred first-choice opener alongside Rohit Sharma. Dhawan himself acknowledged in an interview that he would have also picked Gill, who has been in outstanding form in ODIs, ahead of himself. However, despite his willingness to play a supporting role, Dhawan was not even considered a backup opener.

 

     Ishan Kishan's remarkable double century in Bangladesh has helped him secure his position in the squad, but the Mumbai Indians standout has struggled to make a favorable impression since then.

 

     "Shikhar has also led the Indian side in many tours but suddenly we saw that after the role of Shikhar was over he was sidelined as if he is not needed anymore. I felt bad seeing this because the treatment for everyone should be the same. He is a big player and has given too much to Indian cricket," "Harbhajan Singh stated during his YouTube show."

 

     "Treating him like this is not acceptable. Shikhar Dhawan played an impressive inning of 86 off 56 balls. I won't name any specific players here, but let's consider big names like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, or KL Rahul. They have been given numerous opportunities, whereas Shikhar Dhawan, who has always been a team player and made valuable contributions, is now not getting a chance in the Indian team. When it comes to fitness, he is on par with Virat Kohli," Harbhajan Singh expressed on his YouTube show.

 

     On Wednesday, Shikhar Dhawan revealed that he has been actively working on enhancing his strike rate, particularly when facing spinners during the middle overs. As the captain of PBKS in IPL 2023, Dhawan maintained a run-a-ball scoring rate during his partnership of 90 runs with young opener Prabhsimran Singh, who impressively scored 60 runs off only 36 balls.

 

     Nevertheless, Dhawan showcased his ability to accelerate toward the end of the innings and played a crucial role in helping PBKS achieve a winning total of 197 runs against RR. In the opening match of the season, Dhawan also contributed with a quickfire of 40 runs off just 29 balls, aiding PBKS in their victory over Kolkata Knight Riders.

 

     Dhawan, known for his ability to continually evolve his game, was seen incorporating unorthodox shots such as switch hits and lap shots into his repertoire during Wednesday's match.

 

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