IND vs AUS: "I Can Pull His Leg, Young Players Can't"

India’s veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan has said that star batsman Virat Kohli is his best friend, and he can pull his legs, which other young players cannot. The left-handed batsman gave an interesting answer on whether his relationship with Kohli has changed since his teammate from Delhi in domestic cricket became the captain of the Indian team.

Shikhar Dhawan played his last one-day international match against Bangladesh in December 2022. Indian team management moved away from the senior batter following a poor performance, as Shubman Gill is in form of his life. The Southpaw has led the Indian squad in four ODI series since 2021, emerging the winner in three comprehensively with seven wins in 12 games.

We Share Good Camaraderie – Shikhar Dhawan

Speaking to The Lallantop during an interview, Shikhar Dhawan has opened up about his relationship with Virat Kohli and said that they share good camaraderie and enjoy healthy banter.

“Virat is a good friend of mine. We share good camaraderie and always enjoy healthy banter. He is a senior player at Team India. I can pull his leg, young players can’t. He’s a big player. He has achieved so much. We exude good humour and bonhomie since our early playing days,” Dhawan told Lallantop.

IPL 2023 | India National Cricket Team | IND vs AUS 2023 | India vs Australia 2023

There Will Be Ego – Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan is senior to Kohli at the national level, but the former Indian skipper made his debut at the international level before the star opener. When asked if being a senior player hurt his ego, Dhawan responded that it was useless.

“Agar ego par lelogey to tussle aygi he aygi. Ye to ego ki baat agyi na. (It’s nothing like that. If you take it on the ego, it will hurt you. It is then a matter of ego, isn’t it?) If I continue to think that I’m a senior and I’m playing under him. Then there will be ego. It’s all frivolous thinking to me. And there’s no need to have that. It’s of no use,” he added.

Also read: IND vs AUS: ICC Apologises For Ranking Glitch Which Showed India As World’s No.1 Test Team