Shikhar Dhawan scores a hundred on his comeback from injury
Shikhar Dhawan has scored a sparkling hundred for his state side Delhi in the Ranji Trophy game against Hyderabad which is currently taking place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
This was Dhawan’s first match in a while as he had injured himself in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and subsequently, couldn't take part in the T20I and the ODI series against West Indies.
The left-hander was picked in the Indian squad for both the series, but he couldn’t get fit in time and was eventually replaced by Sanju Samson and Mayank Agarwal in the T20I and the ODI squad respectively.
However, as he has regained complete fitness, Dhawan has been brought straight back into the Indian team for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka and the ODI series against Australia.
As per the protocol which is in place for the Indian players, they have to play a domestic game to prove their fitness before making an international comeback. In line with that protocol, Dhawan has been included in the playing XI of Delhi for the ongoing game against Hyderabad.
The 34-year old is still unbeaten at the crease on 110 off 150 balls with 15 boundaries and 2 sixes, while Delhi have lost 5 wickets at the score of 208.
This innings would certainly give Dhawan a lot of confidence as Hyderabad have a potent bowling attack spearheaded by Mohammed Siraj.
Dhawan was not only able to survive the new ball against a quality Hyderabad attack, but he also put on an exhibition of quality stroke-play, as he hit boundaries all around the ground.
The chief selector of the Indian cricket team, MSK Prasad, has already made it clear that Dhawan has not yet fallen off the selection radar even though KL Rahul has batted brilliantly in the T20Is and the ODIs in his absence.
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If Dhawan carries the same sort of form into the series against Sri Lanka and Australia, he can cement his place at the top of the order for India again in white-ball cricket.