Every inning is like a war for him: Mohammad Kaif on Dhawan's future in ODI cricket 

Dhawan had a great outing for India against Zimbabwe in the first ODI

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes that Shikhar Dhawan's place in the ODI team will be in danger if there is a dip in his form with the bat.

Dhawan was instrumental in India's win over Zimbabwe in the first ODI of the three-match series. While chasing a low score, the left-handed batter smashed an unbeaten 81 runs to help his team chase down the target of 190 runs in just 30.5 overs and register a comprehensive 10-wicket win at Harare Sports Club on Thursday (August 18).

Speaking in a media interaction with Sony Sports, Kaif said that there is a lot of pressure mounting on the Delhi-based cricketer as many youngsters are waiting in the wings to replace him in the team as a string of low scores will pose a threat to his ODI future.

“Shikhar Dhawan, who does not play all the formats and plays this format only, ask him how important this inning is for him. Every inning is like a war for him because so many players are waiting, if he does badly, then he will be out from here as well. But the guy is not giving a chance," 

Kaif went on to praise the services of the southpaw in ODI cricket after he achieved the monumental feat of scoring 6500 runs in one-day internationals.

“He is scoring runs whenever he is given an opportunity. He has scored 6500 ODI runs, which is not an easy task, he has had a very long journey. He showed his ability, that he is ready and has come here not to survive but to score runs and win matches,” 

In the last two years, no one has scored more runs for team India in the 50-over format than Shikhar Dhawan. Despite being consistent in the one-day format and the IPL, he has been overlooked by the selectors for Tests and T20Is. The 36-year-old veteran only plays the ODI format for the Men in Blue. 

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