Kolkata, April 29 (Agency) Heaping praise upon Punjab Kings’ opener Shikhar Dhawan former England captain Kevin Pietersen said the southpaw is among those players who can make the best of deliveries look ordinary with their elegant batting. Shikhar Dhawan – who is only the second batter to amass 6000 runs in the IPL – is doing exceedingly well for his team in the most exciting IPL season and giving PBKS good starts. “Best players, no matter where you’re bowling (to them), make some of the best deliveries look ordinary. That’s something which some of the best batters have, and he’s one of those guys.
He has that (extra) time, that skill and that orthodox nature whereby it doesn’t even look that he’s hitting the ball hard.” Former Indian captain Ravi Shastri believes while Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have received a lot of attention with their batting, Dhawan has been a serious player among the two modern-day masters. Hence, he deserves all the accolades coming his way. Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Shastri said, “I call him a gun player because in this country most of the accolades have gone to Rohit and Virat, but this man has been a serious player right between them when he’s fit. He deserves all the accolades he’s getting. He’s scored 6000 runs in IPL.
He reads the conditions (very well), sees what the pitch has to offer, understands what his role is and he chooses the right bowlers to hit.” Former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan has lauded Punjab Kings’ batting approach in the season as the team, which is full of power-hitters, is looking to build innings around Dhawan. Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Pathan said, “Punjab Kings are the most explosive team in the powerplay this season and the reason behind it is Shikhar Dhawan’s batting. Their approach has been very simple in TATA IPL 2022 i.e. to build their innings around Dhawan, who is looking to bat deep. While Dhawan continues to play his natural game, the rest of the batsmen are providing that supporting act and looking to score aggressively in the death overs.”