Shikhar Dhawan Says Indian Youngsters Well Prepared To Handle International Cricket

India opener Shikhar Dhawan on Saturday said that the youngsters in the team have the capability of winning trophies for India. In the recently concluded 2018 Nidahas Trophy, the Rohit Sharma-led team, after losing the first T20I, India bounced back in style to win rest of the matches and win the trophy. India sans Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni among others displayed superlative performances, which has instilled confidence in Dhawan that the Indian youngsters are good enough to perform at the international stage.

"Our bench strength is quite strong. We won the tournament (Nidahas Trophy) with youngsters where Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had a full side. That makes a huge impact. We have a strong message that even our youngsters are well prepared. It is good that these youngsters are getting exposure. They are going to grow from here," the left-handed batsman said.

"It was a great achievement to win the Nidahas trophy as we have young bowling unit and youngsters coming in. We all showed a great character. We lost the first match, but came back strong on the opposition and took it out from there. The way we ended the tournament was quite thrilling. We all loved it, our adrenaline was very high," Dhawan added.

After a successful South Africa and Sri Lanka tour, Dhawan is preparing himself for the Indian Premier League (IPL) which starts next month.

Speaking of skipper David Warner under whom Sunrisers won the 2016 IPL title, Dhawan said, "He has been a good captain for us. Of course, he is a great batsman. He has done well for his country and has a good record for Sunrisers in the IPL."

"And we [Warner and I] are one of the best opening partners in the IPL history. We both complement each other and I hope we will rock the IPL this season too," he added.

(With ANI inputs)