On the occasion of Friendship Day, India`s star opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan opened up on his bond with the skipper Rohit Sharma. Dhawan also named a song that Rohit liked to sing while they used to open the innings together.
Though the International Day of Friendship is observed on July 30 worldwide, India observes Friendship Day on the first Sunday of August every year.
Speaking to Star Sports, Dhawan said about Rohit, “I have opened with him for 8-10 years, so I have a strong bond with him. He is a gem of a person. Usse bada achha lagta tha jab mai ek gaana gaata tha pitch pe (he used to like it a lot whenever I sang one particular song), `putt jattan de bulaonde bakre`. So he would look at me and then sing the same song. It is one moment that repeated often. He remembered a couple of lines from the song, which he used to sing and then laugh.”
Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are one of the most successful opening duo of modern-day cricket. The duo started opening together during the Champions Trophy 2013 when the right-hander was promoted from middle-order to the opening slot along with Shikhar, who was just trying to solidify his spot in the team back then.
From 2011-2022 in 173 innings, they both scored 6,984 runs together at an average of 40.84, with 22 century partnerships and 22 half-century partnerships. Their best partnership was 210 runs. They together starred in some of India`s most memorable wins of 2010s, mainly in the white-ball cricket, including the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 triumph.
Shikhar Dhawan last donned the Indian jersey in December 2022 against Bangladesh. Rohit Sharma recently led the side in the T20 World Cup 2024. He is currently leading Team India in the ODI series against Sri Lanka.
(With ANI Inputs)