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Laxman was impressed with Dhawan’s form throughout the tournament
After having scored 363 runs in the recently concluded Champions Trophy, India’s Shikhar Dhawan has become the talk of the town and even former players like VVS Laxman cannot hold their silence as the former batting great noted that the opening batsman has learnt to treasure and protect his wicket a lot more.
Dhawan was awarded the Golden Bat for being the top run-scorer during the tournament.
“I have known him for many years,” Laxman told PTI. “He is a talented and skillful player. He has done really well for Delhi, North zone and now Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL. He made an impressive debut against Australia. The only change that I see in him is that he values his wicket even more.
“He is not giving away his wicket easily which has helped him to convert good starts into big knocks. He has learnt to respect his wicket.”
Laxman also praised captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for keeping a cool head throughout the tournament and not letting events back home get the better of him.
“Credit goes to Dhoni and his team,” Laxman said. “The manner in which they focussed on the game forgetting about the developments back home is really commendable. He has remained calm throughout which is a fantastic thing.”
Laxman continued to lavish praise on Dhoni, stating that skipper had played a crucial role in welcoming youngsters into the team and ensuring that their confidence levels are and remain sky-high at all times.
“He made some good tactical moves throughout the tournament including in final,” Laxman said. “Apart from this, I appreciate the way he is instilling confidence among young players and Ravindra Jadeja is a classic example of that. Dhoni has identified his talent and encouraged him to produce his best. Now Jadeja is doing wonders for team India.”
The former batsman refused to comment on whether the new opening partnership of Dhawan and Rohit Sharma should replace the veteran pair of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag as he believes it is still too early to judge them.
“It will be too early to pass a judgement like this,” he said. “I am pleased with the way Rohit and Shikhar have played in the English conditions. It is really tough playing in England with two new balls and they did an appreciable job.”
According to Laxman, India’s excellent fitness levels and the two warm-up wins also played a “crucial” role in their Champions Trophy triumph.
“Indian team has played some wonderful cricket right from the first warm-up game in which they have beaten Sri Lanka,” he added. “After that they beat Australia in a comendable manner, it gave a lot of confidence before the start of the tournament. I think two practice matches were crucial.”