Tough series taught many lessons: Shikhar Dhawan | England vs India - Royal London ODI Series

Shikhar-Dhawan-97-notout-ENGLAND-vs-INDIA-2014

For me failure is not a bad thing, because it teaches you how to succeed.”
That is how Shikhar Dhawan summed up his England tour.

After a wretched Test series with the bat, where the opening batsman scored 122 runs in the first three matches before being dropped, Shikhar’s run of low scores continued in the second and third ODI, with 10 and 16. (Also Read: Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan seal series for India)

However, he turned a corner in style at Edgbaston with a magical blend of sense and authority. With an easy pitch, the target a modest 207 and his opening partner, Ajinkya Rahane, on song, Shikhar had a golden opportunity to play himself back in form. And that’s just what he did. 
 (Also Read: Stats Highlights: England vs India, 4th ODI)

The opener took his time to settle into his rhythm before unleashing the gems from his bat that were hidden for too long. The straight drives and the whacks over mid-wicket ruled his innings. And when he clobbered James Anderson over long-on for a six to bring up his fifty, the trademark smile was accompanied by a sigh of relief.

After batting India to a nine-wicket win to take the series 3-0 with a match to go, Shikhar spoke to BCCI.TV about his return to form and shared how he got out of the elongated run-less rut he found himself in.

Finally some runs under your belt. Relieved?

Yes, very relieved indeed. I kept practicing hard and kept believing in the process. I made a few minor changes in my technique. I opened up my shoulder a bit due to which the vision of the bowler and his arm improved a lot. It has also led me into playing straighter than before. I would like to thank the entire support staff and especially Ravi (Shastri) bhai, who has given us a lot of confidence since he has joined the team. A very big thanks to my family for standing by me.

Was this the perfect chance for you to get back in form – pitch was good, target was modest and Ajinkya took the pressure off you?

That is very correct. Ajinkya was in beautiful touch and the way he hit Anderson for those four fours in an over, it released all the pressure from us. I was not it bad touch myself but my flow wasn’t as good as his. So I kept taking singles at the other end and gave him most of the strike initially. It was the perfect partnership between us. The jugalbandi (a duet of two solo musicians) was brilliant.

Enjoyed that six over midwicket off the free hit? It was massive.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. When you get something for free, you enjoy it more (smiles). After that shot, I got into very good flow. So, we decided to take the batting powerplay. We wanted to finish on an aggressive note because with the match in the bag, it was a good opportunity for us to try out some big shots and learn how and when they work in the batting powerplay. 

Are you a confidence player?

It’s right to say that. My game does depend a lot on confidence. Without confidence, I would not have been able to score runs today. To be honest, even during the Tests and in the first two ODIs, it wasn’t like I was struggling to put bat on ball. It happens with every batsman; sometimes despite feeling good in the nets, you don’t score runs in the match.

Once you fall into a rut where no matter how hard you try the runs don’t come for a long time, how difficult is it to get out of it?


It is difficult. You are trying everything you can to score runs – you’re working on your technique, preparing yourself mentally and doing everything right before a match. But still you go through one failure after another. At this time it is very important to have patience and keep the belief intact. All you can do is keep trying and keep working. Sometimes, you also have to admit that you are getting good balls and the opposition has your number. That’s what I tried to do. I didn’t over-think or get too frustrated; I worked hard wholeheartedly and prepared as smartly as I could, and then accepted that this is a bad phase and I have to get through it.

Is it tougher as an opening batsman – you have so much time on your hand to over think things?

It depends on individuals. For me, when I get out cheaply, I think about it for a while, see where I went wrong, figure out the ways to improve and then let it go. Once a moment has passed, I cannot bring it back. So, I prefer to live in the present. You feel bad and disappointed but at the end of the day the sooner you accept it, it will be easier to move ahead.

Tough phases teach us more than good ones do. What did you learn from his tour about your game?

You are right. When you are scoring runs, yourself and the others tend to overlook your technical deficiencies. It’s when the runs are not coming that even the minutest of flaws are viewed under the microscope. You look into your game and try to pick every single thing you can improve about it. At the end of it, you emerge as a better player than you were. For me failure is not a bad thing because it teaches you how to succeed.

What kind of awareness have you gained about your game on this tour?

I learned a lot about shot selection. I am now more aware of which balls I must play and leave. The straighter you play here, the better because the ball moves around. I also realized that even the smallest technical alteration can have a big impact on your game.

With the World Cup looming, how important does that make this series win?

It is very important. We are playing the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and six months before that, winning an ODI series in England so comprehensively, is a huge confidence booster. It is all the more special given how we bounced back from the disappointing Test series. What I will take back from here is the way the entire team stuck together despite what we went through. We stood by each other every single moment and helped each other move on. I am proud of these boys.


source: bcci.tv


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