Veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan has been recently appointed as a captain of IPL franchise Punjab Kings ahead of IPL 2023. The 36-year-old is regular in India’s ODI setup and often leads the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma in bilateral contests.

The Indian batter recently rated his courageous knock with a fractured thumb against Australia in World Cup 2019 as one of the favourite moments in his career. While speaking at India Today Conclave in Mumbai, the Delhi batter revealed that he was in immense pain throughout the innings but due to pain killers he was able to stay in the crease and play that defining knock. 

After being hit on his thumb, Dhawan looked in considerable pain, but carried on and eventually scored 117 off 109 balls. However, the southpaw didn’t take the field during Australia’s innings. 

“I would rate my World Cup 2019 innings against Australia as one of the favourites. It was very challenging as I played that 117-run knock with a fractured thumb. I had to take lot of painkillers to stay on the crease, but that pain improved my focus, and I converted it into a century,” said Shikhar Dhawan.

Meanwhile, the Indian batter also revealed that his self-belief, spirituality and constant meditation has helped him improve his game.

 “I am being appointed skipper of IPL franchise at the time when many players are retiring. My game has improved significantly, and I would like to credit it to my right mindset and approach toward the game,” he said at the same event while interacting with Rajdeep Sardesai.  

“Earlier, I used to think about competition in the team, but soon I changed it with thought of contribution. I am pretty confident of myself,” Dhawan added.

The Punjab Kings batter also extended his birthday wishes to Virat Kohli stating that his current form will be crucial for the team’s quest for their second T20 World Cup title.  

Meanwhile, Team India has almost qualified for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2022, but needs to win their match against Zimbabwe in order to ignore any technicality in its way to the knock-out stage.