IPL 2018: Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Shikhar Dhawan misses training ahead of Chennai Super Kings match | Cricket - Hindustan Times
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IPL 2018: Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Shikhar Dhawan misses training ahead of Chennai Super Kings match

Hindustan Times, Hyderabad | ByDevarchit Varma
Apr 22, 2018 12:01 AM IST

Shikhar Dhawan, who was forced to retire hurt from SRH’s previous match against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) after being hit on the hand on the very first ball he faced from Barinder Sran, is nursing an injury which might keep him away from the CSK match on Sunday.

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) explosive opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan on Saturday missed the team’s training session ahead of their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), raising doubts on his participation in the crucial match.

Shikhar Dhawan was forced to retire hurt from SRH’s previous match against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) after being hit on the hand on the very first ball he faced from Barinder Sran.(AFP)
Shikhar Dhawan was forced to retire hurt from SRH’s previous match against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) after being hit on the hand on the very first ball he faced from Barinder Sran.(AFP)

The third-placed SRH will take on a dominant Chennai Super Kings in their backyard of the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad, on Sunday April 22 afternoon.

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Dhawan, who was forced to retire hurt from SRH’s previous match against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) after being hit on the hand on the very first ball he faced from Barinder Sran, is nursing an injury which might keep him away from the match on Sunday.

Dhawan did not train on Saturday as the in-form opener took another full day’s rest to have his hand recuperate from the blow that he had suffered on Thursday night.

READ | IPL 2018: Chris Gayle, KL Rahul leaves KXIP singing in the rain against KKR

SRH’s team mentor VVS Laxman informed the media during the interaction on Saturday, “Today he’s not come for practice. We’ve given him one more day to recover. Tomorrow (Sunday) we’ll have a fitness test and we’ll assess his situation. Then we’ll take a call. There’s a contusion because of the hit, there was some swelling because of the hit, but it has subsided. We’re giving him one more day for him to give it proper rest.”

The left-handed batsman started off IPL 2018 with a fine 77 not out against Rajasthan Royals (RR), and followed it up with a strokeful 45 against Mumbai Indians (MI) in a narrow win. Dhawan scored 7 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), whereas he retired hurt without opening his account against KXIP.

Laxman said SRH have the ‘luxury’ of options in case if Dhawan is not fit for the game.

“There are a lot of options and that’s the luxury we have. Because again we’ve reiterated that with the kind of players we have in the squad we can make five or six combinations. There are various combinations which we can explore but I’m hoping Shikhar will be fine and he will play,” he said.

READ | Rohit Sharma gives Mumbai Indians balance, says coach Robin Singh

“I know Shikhar very well. Even if there’s pain, he’ll tolerate that and play. Until and unless he’s 100 per cent convinced that he cannot contribute to the game, he’ll not miss a game. So we’re hoping that he’ll play the game tomorrow (Sunday),” he added.

“But there are various players who can come and we’ve seen this in this season itself. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was injured and Sandeep Sharma came in beautifully filled in the role, Billy Stanlake was not fit in the last game against Kings XI [Punjab]. Again (Chris) Jordan came and did wonderfully well. So there are so many players who can come in and fill in for other players. That’s the luxury we’ve got in this playing squad,” Laxman added.

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