Shikhar Dhawan should have won Man of Match award for 'match-winning knock': Aakash Chopra

Team India on Sunday defeated Sri Lanka in the first ODI by seven wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the 3 match series. The Shikhar Dhawan-led 'men in Blue' made an impressive performance in all three departments (batting, bowling, and fielding) and registered an emphatic win over Sri Lanka by 7 wickets.

For India, skipper Shikhar Dhawan, opener Prithvi Shaw, and debutant Ishan Kishan outplayed Sri Lanka's bowlers and did not let the hosts create pressure in the run-chase. Following this match, Prithvi Shaw was adjudged man of the match for his fiery 43 runs in 24 balls. However, in interaction with ESPNcricinfo, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra opined that Shikhar Dhawan should have been awarded the Man of the Match instead of young Prithvi Shaw. 

Dhawan should have won Man of the Match: Aakash Chopra

Expressing surprise over the Man of the Match award, Aakash Chopra opined that Shikhar Dhawan should have been adjudged as it was the Indian skipper who stayed till the last and scored maximum runs. Chopra further opined that Prithvi Shaw and Kishan might have played differently had Shikhar Dhawan not remained unbeaten for a considerable amount of time at the centre.

"I believe Shikhar Dhawan should have won the Man of the Match award because he was unbeaten till the end. If he had got out early, the 43 [by Prithvi Shaw] and Ishan Kishan's 59 would have been seen from an entirely different perspective because the lower middle-order is still a bit inexperienced. It should have been Shikhar Dhawan, it was a match-winning knock and also a lesson for everyone else that if you get a start, make it count because a small and beautiful innings [is well and good] but if you want to play a towering knock, you'll have to be there till the end," said Aakash Chopra.

India vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI recap

The opening match of the ODI series turned out to be a one-sided affair as India comfortably beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets courtesy of brilliant knocks from skipper Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, and Ishan Kishan. The host after winning the toss managed to reach 262/9 from their 50 overs with the likes of opener Avishka Fernando (33), middle-order batsman Charith Aslanka (33), skipper Dasun Shanaka (39), and Karunaratne (43) chipping in with the bat.

Indian pacer Deepak Chahar and the spin duo of  Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav chipped in with 2 wickets each, while Krunal Pandya bowled brilliantly to concede just 26 runs in 10 overs and even picked up one wicket. In reply, Prithvi Shaw dominated Sri Lanka bowlers during the run chase before losing his wicket. Following Shaw's dismissal, captain Dhawan anchored the innings and was ably supported by young debutant Ishan Kishan (42-ball 59). The duo added 85 runs for the third wicket before the latter's dismissal. 

(Image Credits: @Mahi_Cool7/@SDhawan25/Cricket Aakash-Instagram)