Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan has backed the BCCI’s decision to make domestic cricket compulsory for all players but has also urged for a balanced approach to ensure that there is no burnout. The affable swashbuckler, who called time on his career last year, is in Dubai as one of the four event ambassadors of the ongoing Champions Trophy. India defeated Pakistan by six wickets on Sunday to put one foot in the semifinals. Dhawan attended the match and even paid a visit to the Indian dressing room after the triumph.
While speaking to the media on the sidelines of the game, he was asked whether the BCCI has done the right thing by making it mandatory for players to show up in Ranji Trophy games whenever possible.
“It’s a very good decision. My only thing is that players should not be overloaded, that’s all. But people will monitor that,” he said.
“It’s a good thing that current players should play domestic as well — like how Virat played (for Delhi a few weeks back) and the stadium got packed. At the same time, they should be rested enough.” The BCCI’s diktat came after India’s horror Test tour of Australia in which the team was beaten 1-3 and lost the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the first time in a decade.
Following the Board’s instruction, the likes of Rohit Sharma, Kohli, and Yashasvi Jaiswal played at least a match for their state teams before the Champions Trophy.
Dhawan lauded Rohit, who has looked in fairly decent form so far. The skipper was dismissed for 20 in the game against Pakistan but Dhawan saw the positive side of it.
“He got out, but he created that energy and others capitalised,” he said.
The 39-year-old retired in August last year, saying that he was content with whatever he managed to achieve in his career which began in 2013. He played 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20 Internationals for India, scoring over 10,000 runs across formats.
Asked if he misses the action now that he is no longer part of it, Dhawan was quick to reply.
“Nahi main kuch miss nahi kar raha, main maze mein hun (I don’t miss anything, I having fun). I realised my full potential and I am grateful to the almighty for giving me such a long career,” he said.
On whether India-Pakistan matches have lost the competitive edge over the years, Dhawan said, “Intensity is there. Earlier Pakistan dominated, but now India dominate. That’s the difference.” He was also quizzed about Shubman Gill’s potential as captain.
“Yes of course, he will become captain. He is vice captain right now, it is pretty obvious that he will be captain some day,” Dhawan said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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