Punjab Kings (PBKS) lost their first game of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season after Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defeated Shikhar Dhawan's men by a comprehensive margin of eight wickets at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on April 9 (Sunday). As a result, Aiden Markram's men finally opened their account this season. Chasing a target of 144 runs, SRH rode on Rahul Tripathi's unbeaten 74 not out off 48 balls and finished the job with 17 balls to spare. While Tripathi played the match-winning knock, it was Dhawan's outstanding display with the willow that hogged the limelight on Sunday.
The PBKS captain stood tall among the ruins with a 66-ball unbeaten 99 that lifted the team's score to 143/8. At one point, the Punjab-based franchise was reeling at 88 for nine in the 15th over. The stylish southpaw displayed impeccable composure and game awareness to lead his team to a total that gave them a fighting chance.
After the game, Dhawan took a sly dig at commentator Harsha Bhogle, who had earlier pointed a finger at the left-handed batter's strike rate during PBKS' win over Rajasthan Royals on April 5. In that game, Dhawan started his innings slowly but then cashed in and finished with a score of 86 runs off just 56 balls. At the time, Bhogle said that Dhawan's knock will raise questions about the role of an anchor in T20 cricket.
"Shikhar Dhawan's innings will raise, should raise, the question of whether you can have an anchor batter, especially in these conditions. You can appear to have increased your strike rate by the end, but the 30 balls at run-a-ball can hurt," Bhogle had said in a Tweet on April 5.
Dhawan remembered what Bhogle had to say about him and came up with a befitting reply upon receiving the Man of the Match award on Sunday.
"I didn't expect that I'd reach there at the end of the game but I was playing according to the situation, still keeping positive and I hope you were happy with my strike rate as you tweeted something," Dhawan told Bhogle at the post-match presentation.
The banter ended with Bhogle replying, "Very happy with your strike rate, but that was a different game and different situation. I am glad that we are having this conversation."
During the match, even as PBKS lost wickets at regular intervals, Dhawan showed his teammates how to do it with his incredible knock. In his masterclass, the left-handed batter struck 12 fours and five sixes. While Dhawan remained unbeaten on 99 and missed a well-deserved century by a solitary run, one could easily argue that the southpaw's 99 was better than most of the hundreds scored in the past. Dhawan was awarded the Man of the Match award for his remarkable performance even though Punjab ended up losing the game.
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