Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan talked about his future with the Indian cricket team. He said that he wants to play for the next three years and believes that he can contribute to the T20 team with his experience.
Dhawan may have lost his place in the Test and T20I side but he remains to be one of the key batters for India in the ODIs. The southpaw has been performing consistently for his side and his performances in the past few years along with his record in the IPL has been staggering as well.
He has been one of the top-run getters in the IPL in the last few years and has scored over 300 runs in almost every season since 2015. He has so far scored 421 runs for Punjab Kings with one game remaining in the ongoing IPL 2022.
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With his performances, he’s continuously knocking on the doors of selectors for the Indian T20 side and is expected that he’ll make a comeback in the upcoming T20I series against South Africa.
There were also reports that Dhawan might lead the side in the absence of senior players, who will be rested. Notably, he also captained the team last year when they toured Sri Lanka for the white-ball games.
Speaking to PTI, Shikhar Dhawan said that although he’s an integral part of Team India, he believes that he can contribute in the T20Is because of his vast experience.
Highlighting his consistency, he said that he’s enjoying his game right now and consistency for him means maintaining even gaps between the fifties and hundreds.
"Though I remain an integral part of the team, I still feel that I can contribute in the shortest format because of my experience. I have been quite doing well in the T20 format. Whatever role I have been given I have done well.
"I have managed to stay consistent in the formats that I am playing, whether it is the IPL or at the domestic level and I am enjoying it. Consistency is not only about scoring fifties or hundreds frequently, but also about maintaining even gaps between such scores," Shikhar Dhawan said.
Dhawan said that it was a dream come true moment for him to lead India last year. He also talked about his omission from the squad for the T20 World Cup 2021.
"Yes I am a very positive person. It was a dream come true for me leading the team last year. For the T20 World Cup, they thought the (chosen) players were better than me and fair enough. Whatever decision selectors make, I respect that. That happens in life. You accept it and keep doing your job. I only focus on what is in my control and try to make the most of the opportunities that I get," he said.
Dhawan said that he's looking to play for at least for three years more. He further talked about the challenges faced by the cricketers, highlighting that he's always looking for growth and there are many milestones that he wants to achieve.
“Definitely playing for at least another three years. I don't put unnecessary pressure on myself. It's a race that never ends. If I get into that mindset, I will not be happy and it's not good energy. My ODI average is 45.53. I am always looking for growth, analysing if I can get better.
“We as cricketers have to remain on our toes and fit to be relevant in the race to represent India. I am playing for the next three years at least. I have been batting quite well for the past few years, I am hopeful and positive that the way I am performing, there are many milestones to achieve," he said.
Dhawan said that he’s more focused on his journey rather than the destination and he’s ready to adapt himself to any situation.
"My focus is about the journey and not the destination, it is more about how I am refining myself as a cricketer and how consistently am I performing and as a leader, how am I growing.
“Everyone has to be open to change if that's what is needed. I can adapt myself to any situation, I do that job on the day and in the moment, the situation may not be the same for whole season, it keeps changing. I have the presence of mind to know when to do what," he said.
Dhawan concluded by saying that he would’ve loved to win more matches for Punjab Kings in the IPL 2022. He stated that inconsistency was one of the main reasons behind them not qualifying.
"I would have loved to win more matches for the team and sometimes I felt that we performed well as a batting unit and sometimes as a bowling unit, but should have been more consistent. If we had done that, we could have been in a much better position," he said.
Dhawan has so far played 34 Tests, 149 ODIs and 68 T20Is for Indian scoring, 2315, 6284 and 1759 runs respectively.
(PTI inputs)
