After a long wait, veteran Indian batter Shikhar Dhawan was seen in action as he embarked on his journey to competitive cricket. The star-batter, known for his explosive hitting abilities and powerful stance, has officially returned to action in competitive cricket as he took part in the DY Patil T20 Cup. The batter has been a fan-favourite but has remained out of favour of the BCCI management. Dharan is usually seen in action at the Indian Premier League matches as he is a part of the Punjab Kings, but he has made an early comeback.  

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Shikhar Dhawan showcases explosiveness at competitive return, but effort falls short 

Festivities came early for the Shikhar Dhawan fans as the veteran Indian batter returned to competitive cricket at the DY Patil T20 Cup. On Wednesday, the batter, who is a part of the DY Patil Blue team, secured a 28-ball 39, which included five boundaries and two sixes. The knock was nothing less than entertaining, and the batter showcased that he still has the IT factor inside him. But Dhawan's efforts fell through as the DY Patil Blue, who had a target of 186, failed to reach it, and they lost the match by one run to Tata Sports Club. Blue finished at 184/7 after 20 overs, allowing Tata to take the win.

Shikhar Dhawan established a 64-run partnership with Abhijit Tomar for 76.1 overs and took the team's score to a suitable position. Nutan Goel remained unbeaten on 38 off 35 balls as he added a valuable 58 runs for the fifth wicket with Shubham Dubey (42).

Apart from Dhawan, veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik, who was also a part of the DY Patil Blue, fell for a golden duck in the match. But the stumper was able to take the key wicket of Samarth Vyas after he made the catch.  

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Shikhar Dhawan was last seen in action for the Indian Cricket Team at the ODI series in Bangladesh, which took place in 2022. He will now return as a skipper for the Punjab Kings in the upcoming IPL 2024 season.

(With PTI Inputs)