My biggest goal is to play in the 2023 World Cup: Shikhar Dhawan

As India starts their ODI series against South Africa, Shikhar Dhawan will be running point as the Indian skipper against the mighty Proteas. With many of the first team players stationed in Australia for the T20 World Cup, the task will be cut out for the Indian captain with him being the most experienced campaigner of the Indian team that will be up against South Africa.

There have been questions about his future and when is it that he would be finally calling it a day, especially considering his age. It seems that at the moment, the southpaw is under no obligation to think about the horizon as he made it clear in an interview that his next objective is the 2023 World Cup.

Talking about the impact of the upcoming series on his career, he said, “I always see the positive side of an issue and feel this ODI series is the best opportunity for me to keep the momentum going for a place in the 2023 World Cup. I wish to remain fit and fine and keep batting well so that I can make it to the team.”

He then shed light on his long-term goal as he revealed, “I don’t know how long I am going to play cricket, but right now my biggest goal is to play in the 2023 World Cup. Every time I play, I am grateful to God and wish to stay fit. I have had a beautiful career, and I always try to pass my knowledge on to youngsters. Now there is new responsibility on my shoulders, but I am enjoying this opportunity and challenges ahead.”

Shikhar Dhawan is the third-highest run-scorer amongst the active Indian players in ODIs with only Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma ahead of him. The southpaw has managed to amass 6647 runs from 158 ODIs which has also seen him stitching together 17 centuries.

He also talked about the youngsters for whom this is a massive opportunity to showcase their skill sets. Dhawan said, “As captain, I try to give them such an environment where they can be themselves and open up. I always try to keep a happy, light environment; side by side, I also share my experiences, and even I learn a lot from them.”

This will be an interesting series for the Men in Blue, especially given the presence of so many fresh faces in the side who will be raring to prove a point as they face the men from the Rainbow Nation in an important series where the South Africans would go all out to take a step towards their qualifications for the 2023 World cup.