Not hurt that captaincy was taken away from me for ZIM tour: Dhawan

AUCKLAND: Shikhar Dhawan has a lot of faith in God’s plans and purely for that reason it “didn’t hurt him” when he was asked to hand back the India captaincy to KL Rahul during the tour of Zimbabwe.

Dhawan, who usually leads the India ODI team in the absence of Rohit Sharma, was named captain for the three-match ODI tour of Zimbabwe in August this year but later was demoted by the former national selection committee once KL Rahul was declared fit and available.

“I wasn’t hurt as I believe certain things are pre-destined and whatever happens is for our own good,” said Dhawan, who is back in the captain’s saddle for the ODI leg of New Zealand tour.

“And if you look at it, after Zimbabwe, I again captained against SA at home and the same selection committee handed me the leadership reins. So, I am not at all hurt by what transpired in Zimbabwe. There must be something good hidden somewhere (in God’s design),” he added.

Bilateral series require more context: Williamson

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson says increasing volume of cricket could be a reason for low attendance during the recent England-Australia series and going forward, bilateral series would require “more context” for attracting fans to the stadiums.

A sparse crowd witnessed the recent ODI series between the Ashes rivals Down Under. Only a handful of fans gathered at the MCG for the final match.

“It was unfortunate to see, but it also shows the volume of cricket that’s being held. Because no doubt the ICC tournaments are incredibly popular and there has been a lot of cricket. They (Australia) also had a World Cup on. So, there was a lot on in their country too.

“So, we must ensure there is a lot more context in games, especially the bilateral series,” Williamson said on the eve of New Zealand’s opening ODI against India.

The proliferation of T20 leagues around the world and a hectic international calendar has led to a debate over the existence of 50-over cricket.