IPL 2017: Virat Kohli's absence is good for us, believes Shikhar Dhawan
What’s the story?
Out-of-favour Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan is an integral part of the plans of the defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad. Dhawan will open the innings along with his captain David Warner.
The left-hander believes that the absence of Virat Kohli from RCB’s ranks is a bonus for his team and that they should look to exploit in the opening game against them. However, he has said that SRH are not taking the game likely as RCB have plenty of match-winners in their side and are a capable outfit even without their captain.
"We are not relaxed and we are looking forward to the first game. Of course, Virat is one of the biggest players in their side. He leads from the front and had an exceptional year last year,” Dhawan was as quoted by the PTI.
"It's good for us that he (Kohli) is not there for us. But still, there are big guns in their side. Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Shane Watson are there. We are preparing well and we are on our toes actually to start on a winning note," he further added.
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The details
Dhawan who has been out of the Indian side for a considerable time in the recent past has said that although he misses the National side, he hopes that he could make big runs in the IPL which will enable him to win his spot for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
The left-hander also spoke of how difficult things have been for him in the time and hopes this IPL is a watershed moment in his career as he would love to score big runs and knock the door down as far as National selection is concerned.
In case you didn’t know...
The IPL has been hit with a spate of injuries and many Indian stars have been either ruled out or could miss a major chunk of the tournament owing to injuries.
Indian captain Virat Kohli who suffered a shoulder injury during the 3rd Test match against Australia in Ranchi has not yet recovered from the blow and could miss the initial weeks of the IPL.
Apart from his injury, RCB have also been jolted with the injury to KL Rahul who will undergo a surgery to his shoulder in London.
What’s next?
Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in Hyderabad on April 5 in the season opener. This is a repeat of the 2016 finale and thus it would be interesting to see how the two sides brace up for the challenge.
Author’s Take
Although Kohli’s injury is one big factor, the fickle nature of T20 ensures that no team can take any result for granted and Dhawan is right when he says that SRH cannot afford to take even a slightly weakened RCB lightly as it could well backfire on the day.