Bengaluru, October 27: Delhi Capitals opener Shikhar Dhawan, who has hit a purple patch in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 being held in the UAE, has come in for special praise from former India opener and current lawmaker Gautam Gambhir.
Dhawan has been in irresistible form this season, becoming the first player in IPL to register back-to-back tons, while the stylish left-hander also crossed 5,000 runs in the tournament history, only the fifth player to accomplish the feat.
"First thing, the record itself is a huge achievement! No other Indian has done it. In fact, no other player has done it in the IPL. Back-to-back hundreds, that too in a T20 format," said Gambhir while speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Live.
Dhawan made an unbeaten 101 against Chennai Super Kings and followed it up with a 106 not out against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).
He is also second in the list of leading run-scorers in IPL 2020, having amassed 471 runs in 11 matches at an average of 58.88 and a staggering strike rate of 148.11, just behind Orange Cap holder KL Rahul, who leads the KXIP franchise.
"The more important thing about these two centuries, is the timing, the time at which they've come, when the Delhi Capitals need to peak. If your most experienced batsman peaks at this moment and is in his best form, then it's an advantage for Delhi Capitals," he added.
Dhawan's impressive run of form also earned him a call-up for the Indian Twenty20 and One-day International squads for the upcoming tour Down Under.
Delhi Capitals have 14 points from 11 games in IPL 2020 and are well poised to make it to the last-four play-off stage.
The Shreyas Iyer-led squad will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (October 27).
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The IPL 2020 round-robin stage will conclude on November 3.
After a day of break, the play-off stage will commence on November 5 with the final scheduled to be held in Dubai on November 10.