Veteran batsman Shikhar Dhawan revealed that teammate Virat Kohli would be his first choice while picking his Dream ODI XI for the upcoming World Cup. Dhawan also shared his next four picks for the team in preparation for the showpiece event, starting October 5, 2023 in India. World Cups are nothing new for the out-of-favor southpaw, who averages 53.70 in ten matches, including three hundred.
With his impeccable record, which is almost second to none in the 50-over format, Virat Kohli was the obvious choice. Claims to be the second largest number. Of the hundreds (46) in ODIs, King Kohli has scored almost 13,00 runs at an extraordinary average of 57.32. The 34-year-old also has an impressive record in the World Cup, scoring over 1,000 runs in 26 matches at an average of 46.81 and two hundred.
Speaking on the ICC review, Shikhar Dhawan picked his long-time Indian teammates King Kohli and Rohit Sharma as the first two picks.
He said:
“The first (picked) is Virat of course. He is the best batter in the world and has been scoring runs like crazy. Rohit is a very experienced customer. e has scored lots of runs in ICC tournaments and bilateral (series) and he’s a proven player (on the big stage),”
Rohit Sharma formed a sensational partnership with Shikhar Dhawan in ODIs, with the pair fourth on the all-time list of most runs (5,148 runs at 45.55) between opening partnerships. The Indian captain also has an excellent record of nearly 10,000 runs in the 50-over format at an average of 48.69.
Rohit Sharma is the only batsman to score three double centuries in ODIs, averaging 65.20 in 17 World Cup games, including a record five hundreds in the 2019 edition.
Shikhar Dhawan Has Selected Three Foreign Bowlers With His Third To Fifth Choice
Shikhar Dhawan picked Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan and South African pacer Kagiso Rabada to round out the top five for his dream 2023 World Cup XI. Mitchell Starc was the leading wicket-taker in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups with 22 and 27 wickets respectively. He was also the Player of the Series for the 2015 edition, helping Australia win their fifth World Cup title.
Shikhar Dhawan Said:
“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,”
Rashid Khan played the only World Cup in 2019 and has had a dismal performance with only six wickets in nine matches. However, his incredible IPL success on Indian pitches should make him one of the bowlers to watch out for in the upcoming tournament. Shikhar Dhawan referred to the toss-up between Rabada and Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi for the fifth option. However, he went with the South African due to the presence of a left-arm fast bowler already in Starc.
“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.
Kagiso Rabada took 11 wickets in nine matches at an average of 36.09 in the lone World Cup of 2019. However, the fast bowler has created a sensational ODI record in India by taking 13 wickets in seven matches at an average of 25.84.
