India vs Sri Lanka: Shikhar Dhawan thanks fans, says THIS after becoming captain

India cricketer Shikhar Dhawan (Twitter/BCCI)

Shikhar Dhawan will take the helm in Virat Kohli's absence in the upcoming limited-over series against Sri Lanka, which is scheduled to take place in July. The tournament will be played in the absence of senior players, who are currently in England gearing up for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, followed by a gruelling Test series against the hosts and the . 

The team will play three ODIs, starting from July 13. The second and the third ODI will be played on July 16 and July 18. After the conclusion of the 50-over format, the action will shift to the shortest format of the game, starting from July 21. The second and third  T20Is will take place on July 23 and July 25 respectively. 

Dhawan welcomed his elevation as a caption with a thanking note on social media. "Humbled by the opportunity to lead my country. Thank you for all your wishes," the left-handed batsman tweeted. 

Humbled by the opportunity to lead my country  Thank you for all your wishes  pic.twitter.com/SbywALBTwZ — Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) June 11, 2021

Dhawan had last led the side back in 2013, while playing a List A game for Delhi against England XI. The 35-year-old has earlier captained in seven List A games. 

Last time Shikhar Dhawan captained in a List A game was on January 8, 2013 for Delhi v England XI. Dhawan has captained in only 7 List A games — Sarang Bhalerao (@bhaleraosarang) June 11, 2021

Congratulations Gabbar @SDhawan25 for India captaincy for Lanka tour. Happy for @BhuviOfficial who will be his deputy. Well done Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nitish Rana, K Gowtham and Chetan Sakariya for making it to Indian team for the first time. Best wishes to all of you. — R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh) June 10, 2021

Congratulations @SDhawan25 for new role & all debutants wish you a Good luck.#SLvIND pic.twitter.com/cTFos4KwPG — Munaf Patel (@munafpa99881129) June 10, 2021

India’s squad: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (Wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (Wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Vice-captain), Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya

Net Bowlers: Ishan Porel, Sandeep Warrier, Arshdeep Singh, Sai Kishore, Simarjeet Singh