Shikhar Dhawan has been praised by Kamran Akmal for brilliantly leading the Indian team on their current tour of Sri Lanka. Dhawan’s calm demeanour on the field and leadership skills have been compared by the Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman to that of former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The new-look Team India won the three-match ODI series 2-1 under Dhawan’s captaincy. They maintained their momentum in the T20I leg as well, winning the first match by 38 runs in Colombo on Sunday.
Dhawan’s leadership style and on-field decisions have been lauded by Akmal. In a recent YouTube video, the Pakistan cricketer claimed to have Dhoni-like qualities.
“Shikhar Dhawan’s captaincy in the first T20I was really good. The bowling changes and field placings were impressive. Dhawan seems like a cool captain. In fact, I can see shades of MS Dhoni in Dhawan’s calm and composed captaincy.
“He took excellent decisions under pressure and did not panic even after Sri Lanka got off to a quick start. To win by 38 runs after the Lankans were 20 for no loss after two overs was an excellent effort and Dhawan must get some credit for it. Of course, the bowlers were also brilliant,” Akmal said.
India’s bowling attack, which defended a 164-run total on Sunday, was also praised by Akmal. The hosts got off to a great start, but their middle-order collapse cost them the game.
“Vice-captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar brought all his experience into play. He is a class bowler. A target of 165 is very much attainable in today’s T20 cricket but India’s bowling was top-notch and Sri Lanka’s batting could not stand up to the challenge,” Akmal said.
