London, July 24 (IANS) Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, while sharing about the time he spent with Shikhar Dhawan during his playing days, said that the ex-opener is like a younger brother to him and he wants him “to keep on growing every day”.

Dhawan hosted a special event ‘‘Beyond The Boundary’ at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground, which was attended by well-known cricketers including Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, and others.

“Shikhar has always been a younger brother to me. We have played a lot of cricket together. And more than cricket, he is like a brother to me. So, I want him to keep on growing every day and keep on doing something for society as well. So, a lot of love, a lot of affection,” Harbhajan told IANS on the sidelines of the ‘Beyond the Boundaries’ event hosted by Dhawan in England.

Dhawan was the formidable force in the Indian top order during a career spanning over 12 years. Retired from international cricket last year, having featured in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is, scoring 10,867 runs.

Dhawan and Harbhajan also expressed their best wishes to the Indian Test team for the ongoing fourth Test against England in Manchester.

“All my best wishes are with them, and they’re playing really good cricket. And I’m very, very proud of them. India is currently trailing 1-2 in the series. They showed great character as a team; they’re a young team. And winning the second game after losing the first one—that was great character. I feel that they’re playing great cricket. Of course, it’s 2-1 at the moment. But I’m sure that they will turn the tables for us,” said Dhawan.

Harbhajan added, “I wish them all the luck. They are playing really good cricket even though they are 2-1 down. But still, they have made us proud by playing tough cricket. They showed the right intent. So, I wish them all the luck, and hopefully they will play well in Manchester. And when they come back to London in the Oval, it will be a perfect pitch and conditions for Team India.”

After a firm start from the openers, India clawed their way back in on the opening day at Old Trafford, courtesy of B. Sai Sudharsan’s impressive 61, his first fifty in Tests.

Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur saw through a tough passage of play to finish Day 1 of the Manchester Test unbeaten with India four wickets down for 264.

–IANS

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