As bold as the claim might seem, Shikhar Dhawan has no qualms in believing that with Rohit Sharma he can be as good a pair as Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. Dhawan feels they could be even more successful than what is still considered the best opening pair ever for India. “Surely, we can have that between us,” said Dhawan.
“The way Sachin and Sourav had a long career in opening, we can have that in time. You never know, maybe we can break more records. I’m always positive. It sure is going to benefit the both of us, and more than that it will benefit our country,” he said.
Whether they eventually do it is another question. But there is potential, no doubt. Though between the two Rohit is the more accomplished batsman in ODIs and T20s, with a more varied repertoire of shots and a greater conversion record. But that small statement gave an insight into how the pair approaches every match.
“Rohit and I have been opening for a long time. We understand each other very well. We know each other’s nature very well. I know what he likes to do in the middle. We are quite comfortable. We both have a lot of stroke-making abilities, so it becomes easy. If he plays fast I can play the role of rotating the strike,” explained Dhawan.
Dhawan too has enjoyed good form of late. But he has also seen rough days when he was dismissed to poor shots after wasting a lot of deliveries. The ability to keep himself together, Dhawan feels, has come from experience.
{{/usCountry}}Dhawan too has enjoyed good form of late. But he has also seen rough days when he was dismissed to poor shots after wasting a lot of deliveries. The ability to keep himself together, Dhawan feels, has come from experience.
{{/usCountry}}“It’s a journey. I am getting more experienced and matured with time. I am getting to know my game better. But in bad patches, I tried to stick to basics. I learn in both the good and bad times. It’s a part of life. I believe in my abilities,” said Dhawan.
The confidence shows in his wide grin. To Dhawan, it stems from the fact that he never curbs his natural instinct. It showed in his debut Test in Mohali, where he raced to 187 from 174 deliveries, as it did in the 25-ball 51 in Ranchi about a week back.
“I was enjoying the flow (in Mohali) and I thought it is of no use to control myself as my natural instinct had taken over my mindset. I just wanted to let go. It worked for me. I feel it’s a balance of both. How you make it better with time, that’s the key. I try to do that when I go in the middle,” he said.