Flamboyant India opener Shikhar Dhawan talks to Chander Shekhar Luthra about his make over and the mindset of the team.
- BCCI
Mohali: Shikhar Dhawan returns to the venue where he launched his Test career with a blistering knock of 187 against Australians — the very opponents he will be facing again on Saturday in the third one-dayer.
“I’ve good memories of my debut match here against the same opponents. I want to carry that momentum and look forward to contribute to team’s cause. We are certainly working on our bowling. Hope our bowlers will have better outing here as well,” said Dhawan, who will be playing his 22nd ODI here on Saturday.
Not so long ago, Dhawan was not taken seriously even in Delhi cricket. It was not because of his inability to score big or be a friendly teammate but because of his careless attitude, both on and off the field, which was deemed too casual.
However, things have changed in the last seven months. Ever since he ripped apart the touring Australian side to probably score the best-ever hundred by any opener in his debut game, it has been a different Dhawan even for those who have been keeping a tab on him since his junior cricket days. The ‘Jat’, as he is popularly known in his team, has not been the same. His casual approach towards “getting out” has been replaced by some deep thinking once he returns to the dressing room. The usual “happy-go-lucky” approach has been consciously and steadily changed to that of a serious guy who has learned to value his wicket.
“Yes, probably this is the change in me in the last few months. I value my wicket more now,” Dhawan said on Friday.
Having been one-all in the seven ODI series against Australia, Dhawan is determined to keep his good form going and help his team take the lead here on Saturday.
On the mammoth chase in Jaipur, Dhawan said: “It was a good chase, especially considering Mitchell Johnson was bowling at a good 150-plus pace. Though, other bowlers were not that quick, it was not easy in the middle to adjust to different bowlers. I decided to stand little out of the crease to other bowlers to adjust to their pace and that actually did the trick and helped me keep my rhythm,” said Dhawan.
However, Dhawan said that “at no point in the match did the Aussie score of 359 look out of reach” to him or his other team partners.
“The moment I walked out of the dressing room to bat, we thought it was chaseable total. The only gameplan was to keep a positive frame of mind and enjoy our stay there in the middle with some calculated risks,” Dhawan, who scored an 86-ball 95, said.
“A score of 300 is always reachable in ODIs today, but not 360. The mindset is different now.
Earlier, we used to think that too many runs had been scored. But these days, we always say that we can get there with great team effort.”
Mohali doesn’t look too different from Jaipur. For Dhawan, it’s again going to be a big scoring game.
“For me, it’s like playing against any other country. The old Australian mind games hardly make a difference to me or the team. Even if some Aussie player — like the way Shane Watson tried to probe Indians in Jaipur during the second ODI — tries to probe me, its not always that we react in a particular manner,” said Dhawan, adding: “Sometimes, I react and sometimes I just let it go to frustrate them even more. These are mindgames and one should not get carried away by all these tactics.”
Dhawan has learnt to take the attack back to the bowlers. His philosophy to “play with a bowlers’ mind” has taken a toll on his opponent’s attack. “Sometimes, if a particular plan is not working out well and there is a desperate need to get a few boundaries. I always feel that it’s better to rattle the bowlers by stepping out occasionally. That makes the bowler think.”
- BCCI
Mohali: Shikhar Dhawan returns to the venue where he launched his Test career with a blistering knock of 187 against Australians — the very opponents he will be facing again on Saturday in the third one-dayer.
“I’ve good memories of my debut match here against the same opponents. I want to carry that momentum and look forward to contribute to team’s cause. We are certainly working on our bowling. Hope our bowlers will have better outing here as well,” said Dhawan, who will be playing his 22nd ODI here on Saturday.
Not so long ago, Dhawan was not taken seriously even in Delhi cricket. It was not because of his inability to score big or be a friendly teammate but because of his careless attitude, both on and off the field, which was deemed too casual.
However, things have changed in the last seven months. Ever since he ripped apart the touring Australian side to probably score the best-ever hundred by any opener in his debut game, it has been a different Dhawan even for those who have been keeping a tab on him since his junior cricket days. The ‘Jat’, as he is popularly known in his team, has not been the same. His casual approach towards “getting out” has been replaced by some deep thinking once he returns to the dressing room. The usual “happy-go-lucky” approach has been consciously and steadily changed to that of a serious guy who has learned to value his wicket.
“Yes, probably this is the change in me in the last few months. I value my wicket more now,” Dhawan said on Friday.
Having been one-all in the seven ODI series against Australia, Dhawan is determined to keep his good form going and help his team take the lead here on Saturday.
On the mammoth chase in Jaipur, Dhawan said: “It was a good chase, especially considering Mitchell Johnson was bowling at a good 150-plus pace. Though, other bowlers were not that quick, it was not easy in the middle to adjust to different bowlers. I decided to stand little out of the crease to other bowlers to adjust to their pace and that actually did the trick and helped me keep my rhythm,” said Dhawan.
However, Dhawan said that “at no point in the match did the Aussie score of 359 look out of reach” to him or his other team partners.
“The moment I walked out of the dressing room to bat, we thought it was chaseable total. The only gameplan was to keep a positive frame of mind and enjoy our stay there in the middle with some calculated risks,” Dhawan, who scored an 86-ball 95, said.
“A score of 300 is always reachable in ODIs today, but not 360. The mindset is different now.
Earlier, we used to think that too many runs had been scored. But these days, we always say that we can get there with great team effort.”
Mohali doesn’t look too different from Jaipur. For Dhawan, it’s again going to be a big scoring game.
“For me, it’s like playing against any other country. The old Australian mind games hardly make a difference to me or the team. Even if some Aussie player — like the way Shane Watson tried to probe Indians in Jaipur during the second ODI — tries to probe me, its not always that we react in a particular manner,” said Dhawan, adding: “Sometimes, I react and sometimes I just let it go to frustrate them even more. These are mindgames and one should not get carried away by all these tactics.”
Dhawan has learnt to take the attack back to the bowlers. His philosophy to “play with a bowlers’ mind” has taken a toll on his opponent’s attack. “Sometimes, if a particular plan is not working out well and there is a desperate need to get a few boundaries. I always feel that it’s better to rattle the bowlers by stepping out occasionally. That makes the bowler think.”
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