‘Sometimes You Got To Wait’ – Shikhar Dhawan on going with Rishabh Pant instead of Sanju Samson

Under Shikhar Dhawan’s leadership, team India lost the three-match ODI series 0-1 to New Zealand. The stand-in captain said that Rishabh Pant has proven himself to be a match-winner and he surely deserves backing up from the Indian management. The wicketkeeper-batter was able to score only 10 runs off 16 balls in the third and the final ODI at Hagley Oval, Christchurch against the Blackcaps on Wednesday. The match was eventually abandoned due to persistent rain.

“Overall you have to see the larger picture and who is your match winner. You analyze and your decisions are based on that,” Dhawan said at the post-match interaction. In the last nine innings, the left-hand batter is able to score  10, 15, 11, 6, 6, 3, 9, 9, and 27 runs across the two white-ball formats.

Sanju Samson on the other hand has managed to play well in the limited opportunities he has got so far for Men in Blue. He was brilliant in the ODI home series against South Africa. The 28-year-old was able to score only 36 in the first ODI against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland. 

The team bonding will be our biggest positive: Shikhar Dhawan

The Indian opener said that it is not difficult to be a captain and make such tricky choices, such as picking up Pant over Samson. “Of course, Sanju Samson has been doing really well in whatever opportunity he got,” said Dhawan in the post-match interview. “But sometimes you got to wait for your chances because the other player has done well and we know based on his (Pant’s) skill that he’s a match-winner. So, you need to back him when he’s not doing well.”

India won the T20I series 1-0 while the other hand, while the hosts won the ODI series by a similar margin. However, the rain proved to be a clear-cut winner as three matches out of six were washed out. One match was decided on Duckworth/Lewis method. 

“It’s frustrating. We can’t control rain. But yes, we got opportunities and got a chance to discuss our flaws, and where we can improve. We discuss all that and analyze,” Dhawan said. “The team bonding will be our biggest positive. The main team will now play in Bangladesh. But if one or two may get injured, this experience will come in handy there. The young players from this series will get a chance,” said Dhawan who is also part of the ODI series under regular skipper Rohit Sharma.