Debasis Sen, London: Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan has been the most consistent batsman for India in the Champions Trophy so far. The left hander apart from being the most successful Indian batsman in the tournament added another milestone on Sunday. He became the fastest to score 1000 runs in ICC One-Day International tournaments taking just 16 innings to cross the landmark. He went past Sachin Tendulkar (18 Innings) and Sourav Ganguly (20 Innings) by reaching the milestone in only 16 innings in Champions Trophy.
On Sunday, when India needed 192 runs to win against South Africa and reach the semi-finals, Dhawan scored his 19th ODI half century. For the statistically minded, it was Dhawan’s fourth half-century in the ICC Champions Trophy and the third consecutive fifty-plus score in this edition.
The opener has been working on his technique at the Indian nets. He was seen practising short bowling at the nets on Saturday, a day before the match against the Proteas. He was given short ball practice by fielding coach Sridhar. And the results are for everyone to notice. His most consistent scoring shots came from the pull shots against the Proteas. He scored 19 runs from the 78 runs on Sunday.