Shikhar Dhawan Is All Smiles For His Sri Lankan Fans

Shikhar Dhawan is a very popular player among his fans. Dhawan, who replaced an injured Murali Vijay in the 16-member squad for India's tour to Sri Lanka, geared up for the first Test at Galle, starting July 26, playing the warm-up game against Sri Lanka Board's President XI in Colombo. The match may have ended in a draw but Dhawan's fans from the neighbouring country couldn't get enough of the India opener. In a video put up by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on their Twitter handle, Dhawan can be seen indulging his Sri Lankan fans with autographs and posing for selfies.

Always sparing some time for the fans @SDhawan25 #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/pKElzcsGev

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 22, 2017

In the video, Dhawan is seen taking his time to autograph fans' cricket bats. As he signs one, another is passed to him from the other side of the fence. All the while Sri Lanka fans take videos and photos on their mobiles of Dhawan, who is seen wearing a sleeveless India jersey and sunglasses.

After he's done with the autographs, Dhawan manages to pose for selfies with the fans too. He gives a thumbs up as fans try and click a hurried picture.

Dhawan, who is a regular in the ODI side, has played 23 Tests. The stylish opener has four Test hundreds to his name. The last Test he had played for India was back in 2016 against New Zealand in a home series.

Virat Kohli-led India are set to play three Tests, five ODIs and one T20I against Sri Lanka during the long series that begins end July. The three Test matches will be played at Galle, Colombo and Kandy, respectively. This is the first time the two countries will be playing a full series (includes all three formats) in eight years.