After a painful 2019 in which multiple injuries forced him to take a break from the game, India opener Shikhar Dhawan was under pressure to prove his worth and the southpaw gave a glimpse of his brilliance in the third T20I against Sri Lanka in Pune on Friday (January 10).
Dhawan followed his 29-ball 32 in Indore with 36-ball 52 in the final T20I. The two knocks have come at a time that it will keep him in the mix for the opening slots alongside KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma.
Addressing the press conference after India’s 78-run victory in Pune, Dhawan was asked about the race for the opener’s slot and he replied saying: “All the three players (Rohit, KL and me) are doing well. Rohit had an excellent 2019. Rahul has been doing well since 1-2 months and he is a good player and ‘mei bhi picture mei aaya ga hu, maine bhi aaj acha kar diya hai’ (And I have also entered the fray and have done well today).
“Toh picture achihi ban rahi hai abhi (the picture is looking good), khair yeh sardaredi meri nahi hai (but this is not my headache). So I don’t think about it, because that thing is not in my hands. What is in my hands is to perform and play well.
“I am happy and satisfied that I got two opportunities and was able to express myself. Baki coaches aur captain ke upar hai, toh unki sardadi mei kyun lu? (Rest is on the coaches and the captain, then why should I take their headache),” he elaborated.
The 34-year-old, however, feels being a left-hander gives him an edge.
“Absolutely, that (left-hander) is advantage because it disturbs bowlers’ line and length and it has its own impact,” he said.
On Friday night, Dhawan batted with great intent as he took more risks by stepping out quite often. His knock was laced with seven fours and a six.
“Yes, absolutely. That’s my job and we’ve to take advantage of first six overs (powerplay). Whenever I thought, I can dominate the bowler, I go and do it. To step out or stand and deliver, I do it,” he said.
“Of course (Lasith) Malinga bowls really well against left-handers. He is very consistent with his inswinging yorkers and that’s why I changed my strategy right from ball one. I was attacking him as well, rotating the strike. He wasn’t giving me that many loose deliveries.”
(With PTI inputs)
