India opener Shikhar Dhawan on Monday celebrated his 37th birthday in Dhaka, where the Men In Blue is currently engaged in an ODI series with Bangladesh. Dhawan shared a video of it on social media, where he can be seen cutting the cake while surrounded by his Indian teammates. India coach Rahul Dravid, batting coach Vikram Rathour were also part of the celebration.
Dhawan's video garnered plenty of well wishes from the fans. Batting legend Brian Lara and ex-India cricketer Munaf Patel also extended their greetings on the comment section.
Here is the video:
Dhawan is part of the ODI squad against Bangladesh and is likely to be part of the remaining two matches despite a poor outing in the series opener, which India lost by one wicket. The left-handed batter was dismissed for 7 off 17 balls in the previous clash and will be hoping for some big runs in the next two ODIs.
For the past few years, Dhawan has only been featuring in the 50-over format and has led the team on many occasions. He was also the captain in the recently-concluded New Zealand tour, which India lost 0-1.
{{/usCountry}}For the past few years, Dhawan has only been featuring in the 50-over format and has led the team on many occasions. He was also the captain in the recently-concluded New Zealand tour, which India lost 0-1.
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With the ODI World Cup approaching fast, Dhawan would look to cement his spot in the 50-over format with tough competition coming from Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan for the opening spot. If selected, the World Cup, which will be played in India, will certainly be Dhawan's final hurrah in the showpiece event.
What works in Dhawan's favour is the left-right combination with skipper Rohit Sharma at the top and his excellent record at the ICC competitions.
Dhawan has featured in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, where he accumulated 537 runs from 10 matches. He also had a superb outing in the ICC Champions Trophy back in 2013, which India won by defeating England in the finals. Then batting at an average of 90.75, Dhawan scored 363 runs from five matches.