IND vs. SL 2021: "He made some really funny moves" - Yuvraj Singh recalls his experience of playing under Shikhar Dhawan
Yuvraj Singh has recalled a hilarious moment involving Shikhar Dhawan as skipper in a Duleep Trophy match between North Zone and Central Zone.
Team India will play six limited-overs internationals, three ODIs, and as many T20Is, during their tour of Sri Lanka. The 20-member squad is led by Shikhar Dhawan, who is captaining the Indian team for the first time.
During an interaction with Sportskeeda, Yuvraj Singh observed that there are likely to be many lighter moments on the field when Shikhar Dhawan leads Team India.
The former India middle-order batsman also narrated a funny anecdote from a match he played under Dhawan's leadership.
"Captaincy is going to be funny. Because I have played under Shikhar and he made some really funny moves. One of Shikhar's favorite moves I remember is, we were playing against Central Zone and Bhuvneshwar Kumar was batting on 49. And Shikhar Dhawan called everyone inside the circle."
Yuvraj Singh added:
"I was standing in the slips and asked him what happened. He replied that Bhuvneshwar Kumar is batting on 99, so he called everyone in the circle. So I told him it was not 99 but 49. Then he asked everyone to go back."
North Zone played Central Zone in the 2012 Duleep Trophy semi-final. North Zone amassed 451 runs in their first innings, with Yuvraj Singh (208) and skipper Shikhar Dhawan (121) being the star performers with the bat.
In reply, Central Zone was reduced to 117/5 and then 342/9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar played a 128-run knock to help Central Zone reach a score of 469 and qualify for the final on the basis of the first-innings lead.
"Shikhar Dhawan has always survived on his performance" - Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh also expressed happiness about Shikhar Dhawan being appointed Indian captain for the trip to Sri Lanka. The 39-year-old lauded his fellow southpaw for his consistent performances over the years.
"I am happy for Shikhar, I have seen that guy grow in Indian cricket. He is one man who has always survived on his performance. There have been times where he has not had the support but his bat has always spoken. So, I am very proud of that guy. There were question marks on him but his bat has always done the talking."
Shikhar Dhawan has amassed 5977 runs at an excellent average of 45.28 in the 142 ODIs he has represented Team India in. The left-handed opener will hope to lead from the front with the bat in the Sri Lanka series.