IPL 2020: ‘He has led the way this year,’ Marcus Stoinis says Shikhar Dhawan is ‘a leader within the team’
IPL 2020: Shikhar Dhawan might not be the captain of the team this season, but allrounder Marcus Stoinis feels that he has been a “leader” within the DC group, and the Aussie cricketer praised him for the influence he has had on the team.
Shikhar Dhawan has been enjoying a terrific season for Delhi Capitals in the UAE. The left-handed batsman has already scored 603 runs in 16 games, and is currently at the 2nd position in the list of highest run-getters in the season. Dhawan scored a 50-ball 78 on Sunday in the 2nd Qualifier against Sunrisers Hyderabad and helped his team to post a mammoth total of 189/3 in 20 overs.
Dhawan might not be the captain of the team this season, but allrounder Marcus Stoinis feels that he has been a “leader” within the DC group, and the Aussie cricketer praised him for the influence he has had on the team.
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“Shikhar’s been unbelievable and made some big hundreds. Even in the matches he has missed out, he has timed the ball well. He has really led the way for us this year,” Stoinis said at the post-match press conference after DC beat SRH by 17 runs to make it to the final.
“He (Dhawan) is a leader within the team. He brings in a lot of energy and shares a lot of knowledge. He has really been good to me throughout this campaign. I am really proud of him,” Stoinis added.
“He has made 600-plus runs this year. Hopefully, he has one big knock in the final left in him,” he further said.
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Asked about the big final against Mumbai Indians, Stoinis stressed that there won’t be too much tinkering with the gameplan as such. “Preparations will be the same as usual. When big games are coming up, more important to stick to your usual strategies and routines, MI are a great team and they have been consistent all season, beaten us thrice.
“We will just bring out our best game of cricket and play our best. I reckon that will be good enough,” Stoinis said.
(With PTI inputs)