From being the batting lynchpin of the team across all formats to becoming an outcast, Shikhar Dhawan has seen it all in the last few months. The dashing batsman struggled throughout 2016 to score consistently and paid the price for it as KL Rahul went ahead of him in the pecking order.
After being omitted from the Test series against England, the Delhi star was handed a chance to get back into the scheme of things during the ODI series against England. However, the southpaw completely failed to justify his selection as he scored 1 and 11 in the first two games before being dropped for the final match. With India not playing any ODI before the ICC Champions Trophy, the series against England was a golden opportunity for Dhawan to make his mark.
But the 31-year-old is not too much worried about wasting that chance and knows what is needed to be done in order to win back his place in the Indian team. He is eyeing to do well in the upcoming domestic tournaments.
Speaking to journalists on Saturday, he said:
“Absolutely. For that I have 2 to 3 months and 3 to 4 tournaments. I will do better. In ODIs my performance has been top-notch, I feel that if I do good (in these tournaments), there will be a great chance for me to get into the side.
“All tournaments are important for me. If I have to make a comeback the thing is simple – the more runs I score will be more beneficial for me and my case will be stronger,” he added.
When asked about the reason behind his omission from the Indian team, the left-handed batsman said:
“Consistency, I could not do it. I tried completely, but did not happen. I could do better, but as a batsman I always analyse and I try to improve.
Dhawan is currently in Mumbai with the North Zone squad for the Mushtaq Ali trophy T20 inter-zonals commencing Sunday and he is confident of doing well.
“And now I know that I have to score consistently to get in. I am an impact player, so if I stand and score runs, my team is going to win the game. That is my biggest strength and once I start doing it more consistently, it is going to be good for me and I will have good chance for making a comeback,” he said.
The India opener also had a word of praise for his Delhi teammate Rishabh Pant, who recently made his India debut in T20I.
“He (Rishabh) is doing good, performed very well in Ranji Trophy and was rewarded with an India call-up. He has his own game, backs himself and that’s what I like about him,” Dhawan said.
Meanwhile, Dhawan predicted a good contest between India and Australia during the upcoming four-match Test series but said the visitors would struggle on turning pitches.
“Australia have been doing good and India is performing well. It’s going to be tough for the Australian boys to perform on turning tracks. Australian tracks are totally different.
“They are a little bouncy, but flat wickets. When they play on turning tracks, it’s going to be tough for them,” he concluded.