Shikhar Dhawan’s career as an Indian cricketer has become a topic of discussion as he has lost his Test spot back in 2018 and now been overlooked in the T20I side for some time.
The southpaw is getting picked only in the ODI squad and with Team India playing relatively less 50-over matches lately, Dhawan’s future seems uncertain at times.
Despite amassing over 500 runs in the last two IPL editions, Dhawan couldn’t find a place in India’s T20 World Cup squad last year.
However, the 36-year-old hopes to board the flight to Australia for the T20 World Cup later this year after doing well in the upcoming IPL 2022 season.
Speaking to TOI, Dhawan said he is confident of doing well for his new franchise Punjab Kings in the IPL 2022. The left-hander was picked by PBKS for INR 8.25 Crore at the mega-auction last month.
“The T20 World Cup is coming. I know that if I do well in the IPL, I can get into the side. I am a very process-driven person. I don’t set goals. Till the time, I am enjoying my game - and when I am saying enjoying my game, I mean from a fitness, game, and mindset perspective - If I am enjoying on all these fronts, it works best for me. And I’m in that space right now. So, I’m making sure my process is very strong, and I automatically achieve all that I need to,” Dhawan was quoted as saying.
“I am confident of doing well in the IPL. And if I do that, I will have a chance to make the World Cup squad. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t - time will tell. But I won’t allow any of that to affect my state of mind,” he added.
Shikhar Dhawan also opened up about the changes in his approach. He said he used to ‘compete aggressively’ in the past but now takes setbacks in a positive way.
“Right now, I am not in the T20 side or Test side, but playing the IPL is a great opportunity. I’m earning good money. I have seen the ups and downs, playing for the Indian team these last ten-odd years. There were times I would be desperate when I was about to get out of the side. I used to compete aggressively. But as I have grown, I have let go of many things. I don’t compete with anyone anymore. I’ve stopped chasing. When I began to change my thought-processes, everything around me began to change.
“I now believe in contribution, not in competition. I believe if I am performing at a good level, things will always come to me. And even if it doesn’t, it’s fine. I see things very differently. When I was in DC, I performed well, and I was the highest run-getter in the team. But I still wasn’t retained. Still, I thought there’s something good in it. If I start to see things negatively then, it will affect me and people around me. I tried understanding that bit about psychology. It has made my life peaceful,” Dhawan said.
