India's 2007 World Cup captain has called for patience while dealing with the struggles of attacking opening southpaw batsman; says that he will come good in time for the upcoming World Cup
Shikhar Dhawan and (inset) Rahul Dravid
India's 2007 World Cup captain Rahul Dravid has called for patience while dealing with the struggles of attacking opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan.
Rahul Dravid during a promotional event at a city hotel yesterday. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
The southpaw is enduring a terrible run of scores in the ongoing tri-series in which he has managed just 11 runs. Dhawan didn't have a memorable Test series either — 167 runs over six innings in three Tests.
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"Shikhar would like a few more runs. Having said that, his performance in ODI cricket over the years has been good. Judging him on two-three failures during a tough tour of Australia, I think you need to be patient with him.
He deserves that right, he has earned that through his performances. I'm talking about ODIs," said Dravid at a promotional function organised by Gillette yesterday.
Shikhar Dhawan during the ODI against Australia in Sydney on Monday. Pic/Getty Images
He added: "Hopefully, he will get a good run. A guy like him in form would be invaluable for India. Give him a few more games."
Talking about the Indian team in general, Dravid said: "It's a good team. They have been performing well in ODIs. It's a balanced team. How they adjust to new balls at both ends in Australian conditions will be the key. You have to play three good matches from the quarter-final. Hopefully, the team will get a set combination following the quarter-final."
Asked whether he was concerned about the team's form, Dravid said: "I'm not worried about the form. We had few issues with injuries in the lead-up to the tri-series, but I'm not overly concerned. I'm sure once the World Cup comes around, everyone will be fit. If everyone is fit, we have got a good combination."
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