India’s veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan talked about learning from youngsters despite having years of international cricket experience. Expressing his views on the biggest change he has noticed in the way cricket is being played these days, he emphasized the young generation's mindset and their ability to express themselves.
Dhawan was part of the special panel at the launch of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 official film on July 20.
The left-hander from Delhi made his India debut in 2010 and has played 34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is to date scoring 2315 Test, 6793 ODI, and 1759 T20I runs. He hit a total of 24 centuries in international cricket with the highest score of 190.
"It’s really good to see. Change is the only constant thing in life. You have to adapt with time. It is lovely to see how players have come up with new strategies and new ways of thinking. Even like... we’ve been playing for such a long time, we get so inspired by all the young players when they come up with some new shots, and I ask ‘how you played that?” Dhawan said to ICC.
He revealed that he tried to learn one of Suryakumar Yadav’s innovative shots.
"I was asking SKY, he hits that six and I asked him ‘What do you do, man?’. So he was like, ‘I just bend and I do this’. I said I am going to try that in the nets as well because the more tools you can carry, it gets easier and it’s a wonderful mindset,” he added.
Dhawan explained how the mindset of the youngsters has become a game-changer when it comes to playing cricket in the modern-day approach.
"The thought process is getting broader. Earlier our coaches used to tell us to play down the ground, you don’t have to play big shots. So, we were raised with that sort of mindset but now when you see a youngster coming in, they will just go and express themselves.
So, again, the main point is when I see the younger generation, they express themselves fearlessly. Where else, we also express ourselves but we had that thing because we were mentally trained that we have to play more on the ground but the new generation, they play and they express themselves very nicely and they don’t feel that guilt as well that 'I got out this way or that way', so I feel that is the biggest change we have seen and it’s amazing,” Dhawan said.
He has featured in the 2013 and 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2015 and 2019 editions of the Cricket World Cup, In these, he has amassed 1238 runs at 65.15, including six centuries.
Dhawan talked about the thrilling experience of competing on one of cricket's biggest stages and what it meant to him personally.
"It’s a very special feeling when you play in a World Cup and that’s what you prepare for when you are playing bilateral series. Your main aim in that or when the World Cup is going to come. So we’re maturing ourselves and bilateral series are like a step-by-step [process]. You take small steps to reach the bigger target and of course, it’s a whole different feeling.
When the first time my name got into the World Cup team I was like ‘alright’ and you say to yourself that ‘History mein naam aagaya hai ki World Cup bhi khele hain’ (It gets mentioned in history that they have also participated in the World Cup). So it is that big [a deal] as a cricketer, and it’s a great feeling. And lots of pressure as well," he added.
The 2023 Cricket World Cup starts with epic England v New Zealand clash on 5 October, with the Final slated to be played on 19 November, with both matches to be played at cricket's biggest stadium in Ahmedabad.
(ICC inputs)
