Top 3 best knocks of Shikhar Dhawan vs Pakistan

Top 3 best knocks of Shikhar Dhawan vs Pakistan (Source: Getty Images)

Shikhar Dhawan played a total of 269 matches across his international career, which spanned well over a decade. There were a number of stellar performances he put on during his time on the grandest stage. The left-handed top-order batter had a solid technique which would complement his flair and unshakeable temperament perfectly well.

He only played 34 Tests, but never played one against Pakistan. All nine of Dhawan’s matches against the arch-rivals have come in the white-ball format (7 ODIs and 2 T20Is). With an average in excess of 44 in these outings, Pakistan are definitely among his favourite oppositions. Let’s discuss the top three knocks of the former India opener against the Men in Green.

Top 3 knocks of Shikhar Dhawan vs Pakistan

3. 68 off 65 (2017)

Dhawan combined with Rohit Sharma to score at a brisk rate to grant India a solid start in the group-stage clash against Pakistan in the 2017 instalment of the Champions Trophy. Despite scoring his first boundary on the 22nd ball he faced, the star batter picked up his pace quite well after the rain delay. He was quite successful in rotating the strike and finding the odd boundary whenever a loose ball came his way.

The highlight of this innings was when he laced three back-to-back boundaries off Wahab Riaz in the 20th over of the innings. Although he got out a few overs later, the foundation had already been laid for the rest of the batting unit to make the most of. Pakistan were no match to India, who scored 319/3 in their 48 overs. They ended up losing the match by 124 runs via the DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method.

2. 73 off 76 (2015)

The 39-year-old kept his composure despite the fall of Rohit early on during the hyped up India-Pakistan clash at the 2015 World Cup in Adelaide. He combined adeptly with Virat Kohli to keep the scoreboard moving after the departure of his opening partner. The southpaw brought up his half-century on the first ball of the 21st over of the innings.

He was run-out on the fifth ball of the 30th over after an attempt to pinch a quick single resulted in him falling short of his ground despite a full-stretched dive. Kohli went onto pair up with Suresh Raina to stitch another 100-plus stand. India eventually ended up registering a convincing 76-run win by bowling the opposition out for 224 in 47 overs. Kohli got the Player of the Match for his century, but Dhawan was the perfect partner, who comforted his Delhi teammate could get to the three-figure mark.

1. 114 off 100 (2018)

Dhawan’s proactive nature at the crease proved to be a massive advantage for India in their run-chase during their Super Four clash against Pakistan in the 2018 Asia Cup. Dhawan’s fifty came with his seventh boundary of the innings. He was not over just yet. He got to his ton with a scorching boundary on the 95th ball of his innings.

It really seemed as if the Delhi-born would stay unbeaten till the end and sail alongside Rohit through to a 10-wicket victory. However, he was run-out on the third ball of the 34th over to get dismissed after facing exactly 100 balls. The Men in Blue wrapped up the match with ease, winning it by nine wickets and 63 balls to spare. Dhawan was awarded the Player of the Match award for his fluent knock.

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