[WATCH] Shikhar Dhawan rolls the pitch, does thigh-five celebration with groundsmen

[WATCH] Shikhar Dhawan rolls the pitch, does thigh-five celebration with groundsmen

Team India’s Shikhar Dhawan posted videos to his Instagram account on Wednesday showing his interaction with some groundsmen. In the clips, the 36-year-old does his famous thigh-five celebration with the groundsmen after rolling the pitch with some guidance from the grounds crew.

Shikhar Dhawan was the first player to be auctioned off in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction, which took place in Bengaluru last month. PBKS purchased him for ₹8.25 crore. Several reports suggested that the Shikhar would be named the team’s captain, but the franchise confirmed that Mayank Agarwal would be the team’s captain.

Uploading video clips of his exchange with groundsmen, Dhawan wrote on Instagram:

“Spent this morning with groundsmen. Love their energy and enthusiasm. Appreciate and grateful for all the effort they put in.”

Despite putting up impressive performances for Delhi Capitals (DC) in recent seasons, Dhawan was released ahead of the IPL 2022 auction. The left-hander scored 587 runs in 16 matches for the franchise last year, while he scored 618 runs in 17 matches during the 2020 edition. The veteran cricketer is the second-leading run-getter in the IPL, having scored 5784 runs in 192 matches at a strike rate of 126.63, including two hundred and 44 fifties.

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Shikhar Dhawan demoted in the BCCI’s central contracts list for 2021-22

Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan is likely to miss out on the India T20 World Cup squad

As of right now, Dhawan is only represented by India in ODIs. He has been demoted from Grade A to Grade C, along with all-rounder Hardik Pandya, in the BCCI’s central contracts list. Players in Grade A are offered ₹5 crores while Grade C players get paid ₹1 crore. Meanwhile, the trio of Ishant Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara were downgraded from Grade A to Grade B. Dhawan was India’s most consistent batter during the three-match ODI series in South Africa even as the Men in Blue were hammered 0-3. He registered scores of 79, 29 and 61.

He was among the players who tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the home series against West Indies. The left-hander missed the first two matches of the series. He returned for the third ODI of the series but was dismissed for just 10.

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