I have not given up all hopes of a comeback in Test cricket: Shikhar Dhawan

The swashbuckling Indian batsman Shikhar Dhawan has been a regular feature in India’s limited-overs playing XI since his international debut in 2010 against Australia. However, the cricketer has been away from the longest format of the game since 2018. His last Test game for India came during India’s tour of England in 2018 where he under performed and was sidelined from the line-up for further fixtures.

The southpaw was handed the desirable India Test cap to make his debut against Australia in March 2013. He had a dream run in that match as he smashed a blistering 187. Shikhar has so far featured in a total of 34 Tests amassing 2,315 runs including seven half-centuries and five-centuries. However, his inconsistency in the format resulted in him losing his spot to KL Rahul.

Recently, the Delhi Stalwart asserted that he still has hopes of making a comeback in the Test team and will continue to give his best whenever he gets an opportunity to play for India. The cricketer also highlighted how he made a comeback in the ODI team after smashing a ton in Ranji Trophy.

“I am not a part of the Test team but that does not mean I have given up all hopes of a comeback. Whenever I got an opportunity… like in the Ranji Trophy last year I scored a century, then I made a comeback into the one-day team, if I get an opportunity then why not, of course.” Shikhar Dhawan said as quoted by Times Now.

I will keep trying my best, says Shikhar Dhawan

The opening batsman slot in the Indian team has witnessed an intense competition in the past few months. After Dhawan was ruled out of the 2019 World Cup due to an injury, Lokesh Rahul had come as a replacement and had performed exceptionally well for the Indian team. Thus, the management and the captain will be in a fix on whom to choose among the two as the second opener spot has already been occupied by Rohit Sharma.

When asked about the same, the left-hander stated, “I will keep trying my best. The T20 World Cup is there next year, so I need to keep performing, keep myself fit, make runs consistently. If I keep doing these, other things will automatically fall into place.”

The 34-year-old will be seen in action, after being on a sabbatical from the game of cricket for about seven months, in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League. He will be seen representing the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer.

The cricketer will be looking forward to repeating his performance of IPL 2019 as in that edition he was the top run-getter for his franchise with a total of 521 runs at an average of 34.73 with five half-centuries.