Shikhar Dhawan spoke about playing in World Cups and how it is a very special feeling for any player to be part of the biggest extravaganza of international cricket. Dhawan himself was part of two World Cups for India in 2015 and 2019.
Dhawan, who has represented India in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is with over 10,000 international runs, has a meritorious report card in 50-over global ICC tournaments. He has featured in the 2013 and 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2015 and 2019 editions of the Cricket World Cup, in these, he has amassed 1238 runs at 65.15, including six centuries.
His best outing was in the 2013 Champions Trophy, where he slammed 363 runs in 5 matches with two centuries and won the golden bat award.
Dhawan spoke about the exhilarating feeling of playing on one of the grandest stages in cricket and what it meant for him as a player.
“It’s a very special feeling when you play in a World Cup and that’s what you prepare for when you are playing bilateral series. Your main aim in that or when the World Cup is going to come. So we’re maturing ourselves and bilateral series are like a step-by-step [process]. You take small steps to reach the bigger target and of course, it’s a whole different feeling.
When the first time my name got into the World Cup team I was like ‘alright’ and you say to yourself that ‘history mein naam aagaya hai ki World Cup bhi khele hain’ (It gets mentioned in history that they have also participated in the World Cup). So it is that big [a deal] as a cricketer, and it’s a great feeling. And lots of pressure as well,” Dhawan said on the sideline of ICC launching the World Cup 2023 song.
The 2023 Cricket World Cup starts with England v New Zealand clash on 5 October. The final will be played on November 19 at cricket’s biggest stadium in Ahmedabad.
When I See The Younger Generation, They Express Themselves Fearlessly: Shikhar Dhawan On New Learnings
Despite having 13 years of experience playing for India in international cricket, the 37-year-old batsman is still looking to learn new things. He emphasized the new generation’s perspective and their capacity for self-expression while discussing the biggest shift he has seen in the way cricket is played these days.
“It’s really good to see. Change is the only constant thing in life. You have to adapt with time. It is lovely to see how players have come up with new strategies and new ways of thinking. Even like… we’ve been playing for such a long time, we get so inspired by all the young players when they come up with some new shots, and personally I ask ‘how you played that?
The thought process is getting broader. Earlier our coaches used to tell us to play down the ground, you don’t have to play big shots. So, we were raised with that sort of mindset but now when you see a youngster coming in, they will just go and express themselves,” Dhawan said.
“The main point is when I see the younger generation, they express themselves fearlessly. We were mentally trained that we have to play more on the ground but the new generation, they play and they express themselves very nicely and they don’t feel that guilt as well that ‘I got out this way or that way’, so I feel that is the biggest change we have seen and it’s amazing,” he added.
The left-hander from Delhi made his India debut in 2010 and has played 34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is to date scoring 2315 Test, 6793 ODI, and 1759 T20I runs. He hit a total of 24 centuries in international cricket with the highest score of 190.