Sri Lanka Vs India 1st Test: Healthy Competition In The Team Keeps Me On My Toes, Says Shikhar Dhawan
Jul 29, 2017 at 5:17 PM
Shikhar Dhawan would have surely come out to open the innings with a different aim in his mind in the just-concluded Test against Sri Lanka at Galle than he did when India played at the same venue a couple of years ago. While Dhawan was a regular in the playing eleven back then, he was making a comeback in the Test team after a gap of almost 9 months this time around.
But that was the only difference as far as the left-handed batsman was concerned as the opening batsman replicated his 2015 heroics by slamming another century at the venue. In fact, he did even better this time, scoring a stroke-filled 190 off just 168 balls compared to his 134 runs in 2015. His innings laid the foundation for a big total as Team India posted a massive 600 in the first innings. Dhawan failed to fire in the second innings but the 309-run lead had already put India in the driver’s seat and Virat Kohli’s century helped them to set a daunting target of 550. Indian bowlers then restricted Sri Lanka to 245 to fire India to a massive 304-run win.
Dhawan was adjudged the Man of the Match for his brilliant knock. Speaking at the presentation ceremony, the southpaw said that the healthy competition in the team motivates him to work hard.
“Really enjoyed batting here. Just watched the ball and kept scoring. Very healthy competition in the side and it keeps me on my toes and always looking forward to improving myself,” he said.