Harsha Bhogle, Sanjay Manjrekar & Sehwag hail Shikhar Dhawan's 'Champion Knock' of 92

Opener Shikhar Dhawan finally made his bat do the talking during Delhi Capitals' IPL 2021 clash against northern rivals Punjab Kings at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. He successfully anchored DC's run chase as last year's finalists registered their second win of the ongoing season.

'Champion knock'

The cricketing fraternity was in awe of the opener's explosive innings as they came forward and hailed his 'champion knock'.

Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle came forward and wrote that it was wonderful to see Shikhar Dhawan take his game to another level. The 'Voice of Indian Cricket' then added that in terms of strike rate, which is a key metric, he has been getting better every year since 2018.

Bhogle's co-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar took to the micro-blogging site and mentioned that was classic hammering from the Delhi batsman of the Punjab bowlers after which the cricketer-turned-commentator/analyst lauded the southpaw's mind-boggling strides he has made as an IPL batsman in the last three years. Manjrekar then appreciated Shikhar Dhawan's commitment to fitness and his strong mind post the age of 32.

Former Indian vice-captain Virender Sehwag wrote that Shikhar Dhawan is a classic example of how to maintain a good strike rate without taking undue risks. Viru then went on to add that 'Gabbar' is a great learning example for many players who get bogged down. Furthermore, he added that Shikhar's knock of 92 was a 'Champion Knock'.

Delhi Capitals register a convincing win

After being asked to bat first on a perfect batting track at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Punjab Kings openers Rahul and Mayank Agarwal took the DC bowlers to the cleaners as they added 122 runs. While Rahul scored a 51-ball 61, Agarwal top-scored for his side with a quickfire 69 from 36 deliveries as the 2014 finalists posted a stiff total of 195/4 from their 20 overs.

In reply, Delhi started attacking right from the word 'Go' as openers Prithvi Shaw, and, Shikhar Dhawan added 59 runs for the opening stand before the former was dismissed. Dhawan looked unstoppable and went after the Punjab bowlers as he scored a match-winning 49-ball 92 that included 13 boundaries and a couple of maximums at a strike rate of 187.76 ad DC got past the finish line with 10 balls to spare.

(Image Courtesy: BhogleHarsha-Facebook/PTI/@IPL)