In his dream One-Day International (ODI) team, Indian opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan expressed his belief that Virat Kohli is the finest batsman in the world. Dhawan commended Kohli’s prowess while selecting him for his dream XI during an ICC Review ahead of the World Cup 2023. Dhawan also included Indian captain Rohit Sharma in his lineup, emphasizing Sharma’s track record of performing well in significant matches.
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“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. He has scored lots of runs in ICC tournaments and bilateral (series) and he’s a proven player (on the big stage),” said Dhawan.
In his envisioned ODI team, Shikhar Dhawan also handpicked Australia’s Mitchell Starc and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, emphasizing Rashid’s potential impact in India during the World Cup and his ability to secure numerous wickets. Rashid boasts 167 wickets in 89 ODIs for Afghanistan, while Starc has clinched 219 wickets in 110 ODIs.
“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,” Shikhar Dhawan added.
Dhawan partnered Starc with South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada in consideration of Rabada’s right-arm pace. Rabada, with 137 wickets in 89 ODIs for South Africa, shares the IPL team Punjab Kings with Shikhar Dhawan.
“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.
Notably, India is scheduled to meet Australia in their first match of the ODI World Cup 2023 at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium on October 8.
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