Left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan on Thursday (September 5) said that he enjoyed playing for India ‘A’ against South Africa ‘A’ and this practice will help him prepare for the upcoming T20Is versus the senior Proteas side.
Dhawan has been picked to play for India 'A' in the final two unofficial ODIs of the ongoing home series against South Africa 'A'. The southpaw scored 52 off 43 balls in the fourth game in Thiruvananthapuram but the hosts fell 4 runs short of the target.
“I enjoyed it. I was hitting the ball in the middle and it was good that I scored a half century as well after coming into the India A squad after a long time,” he told reporters.
“It was a good practice for me before the upcoming series against South Africa. I am not part of the Test team so I had enough rest and there is nothing like going out in the middle and playing.
It was a much-needed knock for Dhawan, who failed to make a mark on his return to the national side after recovering from a thumb injury, which he had picked during India’s second World Cup game against Australia.
Shikhar’s comeback during the Caribbean tour saw him registering the scores of 1, 23 and 3 in T20Is and 2 and 36 in the ODIs.
Nonetheless, Dhawan remains a key member in India’s white-ball set-up and he is expected to play a big part in India’s T20 World Cup campaign next year.
“Absolutely I am looking forward to scoring a lot of runs for India and be a consistent performer in the next T20 World Cup. As long as I keep performing and enjoying the game I think I will be there. The more I play, the more confident I become. Looking at the workload, I think I had enough of practice and match practice as well,” he said.
But for now, Dhawan is enjoying his time as a senior pro in the India ‘A’ set-up.
“These boys have been doing well and I’m a fun loving and easy going guy. So I can mingle with anyone. We have a good laugh together and we’ve been having dinner together, which has created a bonding. On the field, when they ask something, whatever knowledge I have I share,” he concluded.
(Inputs from CricketNext)
