Vaibhav Tripathi
Veteran Indian batter Shikhar Dhawan openly shared his ideal dream ODI XI ahead of the upcoming World Cup, revealing that teammate Virat Kohli would be his top choice. As the anticipation builds for the showcase event in India, slated to commence on October 5, Dhawan also unveiled his selection for the subsequent four positions in the lineup.
Virat Kohli, acclaimed as one of the game’s finest, would undoubtedly hold the premier position in Dhawan’s fantasy team. With an impressive tally of 46 centuries, Kohli has amassed nearly 13,000 runs in ODIs, maintaining an exceptional average of 57.32.
Dhawan next picked current Indian captain Rohit Sharma. Rohit has a brilliant record in the 50-over format, where he has accumulated nearly 10,000 runs at an impressive average of 48.69.
“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 Shikhar Dhawan while speaking on the ICC Review.
Dhawan included Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc and Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan in his dream ODI XI. He emphasized the potential impact of Rashid Khan during the World Cup in India, expressing confidence that the leg spinner would be highly influential and capture a significant number of wickets. Rashid’s impressive record of 167 wickets in 89 ODIs for Afghanistan underscores his prowess.
On the other hand, Dhawan acknowledged Mitchell Starc’s ability as a pace bowler. With a remarkable tally of 219 wickets in 110 ODIs, Starc’s proficiency in dismantling batting lineups was a key factor in his selection.
“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,” added Dhawan.
Concluding his selections, Dhawan’s final pick was South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada. The Proteas’ pace dynamo has impressively secured 137 wickets across 89 ODIs for his country.
“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.
Currently, Dhawan is not being considered for a place in the Indian squad across various formats. The emergence of promising young talents such as Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, and Yashasvi Jaiswal has led the selectors to redirect their attention from Dhawan.