Ahead of the second One-day International between hosts New Zealand and visiting India, the adamant in approach Men in Blue opener Shikhar Dhawan addressed the media. Dhawan highly spoke of his fellow Prithvi Shaw. He maintained the young crop of cricketers has had created a healthy competition within the team.
Dhawan cited the example of teenager Shaw who kicked off his Test career with a bang against the Windies. He slammed a maiden ton by scoring 134 off 154 deliveries at Rajkot in October 2018. However, Shaw’s Australian tour was cut short when he twisted his ankle in a practice game against CA Australia’s XI at Sydney.
Shikhar Dhawan on the exuberance of Prithvi Shaw:
The southpaw Dhawan, who was the top scorer in the Napier ODI with unbeaten 75, insisted the youngsters often rise to the occasion owing to a 15-member squad.
“Take the case of Prithvi Shaw, the way he came into the Test team and scored a century and then 70 runs. Everyone has to be on their toes,” Dhawan said in a press conference in Tauranga.
Apart from the competition with the bat at the top, Dhawan termed Team India’s bench strength as ‘strong’. The side has done an exceptional job following the 2-1 ODI series win over hosts Australia before kicking off the campaign with a winning note in New Zealand.
“Our team has been performing very well. Our bench strength is also very strong,” Dhawan added.
The 33-year-old Dhawan pointed out that he has backed his strength to come good. Dhawan added he usually chalk out his plan when is out in the middle.
“I back my instinct and know my technique suits. It is a mental adjustment… once I am at the pitch I create a plan in that particular moment,” Dhawan remarked.
Shikhar Dhawan on rotating strike:
The Delhi-based star Dhawan, who stitched a crucial 91-run stand for the second wicket alongside skipper Virat Kohli, is in good stead.
Talking about the rotation of a strike, Dhawan cherishes his time while batting alongside batting giant, Kohli. The top-order batsman Kohli is ruling the batting chart by quite a distance. Dhawan admitted the fact that scampering for single or double ease out thing for the batting side, whereas boundaries encourage the partners.
“We (Virat Kohli and I) rotate the strike very well, that is one thing that keeps the pressure off. If one hits the boundary, it boosts the other,” Dhawan stated.
Besides, Dhawan reveals they are up for the definite plans. Dhawan further cited the reason of breezy start if the target is anything beyond 300. He reiterated the aim is to provide an early impetus for the team in high-scoring games.
“We always plan that our top order scores more and stays longer at the pitch. But it also depends on the target, match to match, score to score and a little bit on the mood,” Dhawan revealed.
In addition to, Dhawan has achieved a milestone on Kiwis shores during the opener of the Netmeds ODI series.
Shikhar Dhawan wants to score as much as possible:
Before registering his 26th ODI, Dhawan eventually became overall the joint-fourth fastest alongside Brain Lara to amass 5000 ODI runs in 118 innings. He also became second Indian batsman after Virat Kohli to achieve the particular milestone.
Dhawan, who spoke about the feat, expressed an excitement. He reiterated that he is aiming to perform on a regular basis to contribute for the team. While chasing down the revised target of 156 at McLean Park in Napier, Dhawan eclipsed former Team India skipper Sourav Ganguly and South African veteran Graeme Smith.
“This milestone is part of the journey. I am happy to achieve it. And [I] will be looking forward to scoring more runs for my team and do well consistently. Once you get the experience, you take the things with ease and you know what to do and what not to do,” Dhawan concluded.
The second game is scheduled to be played at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on January 26 (Saturday).