"When I say 'who are we?' you will all say champions," said an elated Shikhar Dhawan as he capped off the dressing room celebrations, shortly after India outwitted hosts West Indies in a three-match ODI series and completed a clean sweep on Wednesday. Dhawan, leading a young pack in place of regular captain Rohit Sharma, became the first-ever captain of an Indian team that clean swept the Caribbean side on its home soil.
In his speech, Dhawan said the young mix has the potential to achieve many more successes in future. But for the left-handed opener, the focus remains on restoring his white-ball credentials amid the intense competition in the Indian team. Dhawan hit 97, 13 and 58 in three games, leading to Reetinder Sodhi questioning why can't the seasoned batter be considered for this year's World T20 in Australia.
"We need him (Dhawan) if we talk about the 50-over World Cup. But why not Shikhar Dhawan for the T20 World Cup, why not an experienced player, the sort of form that is being seen, the way his feet are moving, the fantastic fielding he is doing, Shikhar has presented an extremely strong case," the former India player told India News.
"Dhawan is a player who was down and out. There was not much talk about him a few months back, but it has been a fantastic turnaround because he is captaining in ODI cricket and the form he has caught, it seems he is a certainty," he added.
{{/usCountry}}"Dhawan is a player who was down and out. There was not much talk about him a few months back, but it has been a fantastic turnaround because he is captaining in ODI cricket and the form he has caught, it seems he is a certainty," he added.
{{/usCountry}}Former India wicketkeeper and national selector Saba Karim, however, wants Dhawan to partner Rohit Sharma in the ODI World Cup next year. "His performance has been exceptional if we talk about ODI cricket. Shikhar Dhawan showed that he has a lot of cricket left in him and presented a strong case for next year's World Cup," he said.
"I have been saying this for a long time that he is a very important player along with Rohit in the opening partnership for the World Cup. After this performance, the selectors will also be definitely encouraged to persist with Shikhar."
Dhawan had even led a second-string Indian team in Sri Lanka last year. After the success in the ODI leg of the West Indies series, coach Rahul Dravid also lavished praise on his able leadership.
"Really well done by Shikhar. I think he led very well. Well done to all of you, terrific performance," said Dravid.