'History mein...': Shikhar Dhawan reminisces 'great feeling' of representing India in WC

With the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 set to begin in less than 3 months, the scale of excitement is slowly elevating among the fans and as the tournament will get closer, it is only going to move in one direction. While the schedule of the 50-over mayhem has already been announced, and the trophy is on its way for the world tour, other developments are also subsequently taking place in the lead-up to the start. One such transpired on Thursday, July 20, 2023, when the official film of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup was launched in Mumbai. At the event, India's veteran batsman Shikhar Dhawan was also present as one of the special panelists and was given the platform to express his thoughts on playing in the World Cup

3 things you need to know

• ICC unveiled the official film of ICC Men's World Cup 2023
• Global tech giant Meta hosted the event
• Shikhar Dhawan was present at the event as a special panelist

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Shikhar Dhawan on playing his first world cup

Over the years Shikhar Dhawan has turned out to become a specialist for India in the ICC tournaments. The player has always been able to produce his best whenever the cricket world has assembled to play for an esteemed trophy. Courtesy of this the 37-year-old has some towering figures to display in the column of ICC tournaments and thereby got the respect from the body as he was called in to present his comments at the event hosted by Meta in Mumbai for the launch of "It Takes One Day" film. 

At the ceremony, Dhawan laid out his thoughts on several subjects and in between also divulged how he felt when he played his first world cup.

"Your main aim in that or when the World Cup is going to come. So we’re maturing ourselves and bilateral series are like a step-by-step [process]. You take small steps to reach the bigger target and of course, it’s a whole different feeling.

"When the first time my name got into the World Cup team I was like ‘alright’ and you say to yourself that ‘history mein naam aagaya hai ki World Cup bhi khele hain’ (It gets mentioned in history that they have also participated in the World Cup). So it is that big as a cricketer, and it’s a great feeling. And lots of pressure as well," he added. 

(Shikhar Dhawan showcasing his typical celebration after scoring a century. Image: AP)

It should be noted that Shikhar Dhawan played in the 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cup. In the 2015 World Cup, he was India's top run-getter with 412 runs. In the 2019 World Cup, he only played two matches and after scoring a century against Australia had to return to India due to an injury.

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Is Shikhar Dhawan out of the scheme of things for ICC World Cup 2023?

Shikhar Dhawan was expected to lead Team India in the forthcoming Asian Games, however, he wasn't picked for the team, and thereby concerns are rife about his future. While many fans and experts think that BCCI has moved past Dhawan and does not see him in the scheme of things for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. What do you think, have we already seen the last of Shikhar Dhawan in international cricket?