'I know how to handle pressure': Shikhar Dhawan after scoring 98 in 1st ODI against England

Asked about the pressure he has been under of late to keep his spot in the side, India opener Shikhar Dhawan, who struck 98 in the first ODI against England, said as an experienced player he knows how to handle such situations.

It’s not easy to be a top-order batsman in India nowadays. As captain Virat Kohli said, there are three or four players ready for the same spot. While that is a rosy scenario, proving the bench strength of a strong side like India but it might not be the idea thing for someone like Shikhar Dhawan, who is constantly under pressure despite being one of India’s most consistent performers in limited-overs cricket.

India's Shikhar Dhawan plays a shot during the first One Day International cricket match between India and England at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, in Pune, Tuesday, March 23, 2021 (PTI)

Dhawan, who lost his place in the T20I side, came back strong when given an opportunity in the ODIs. The left-hander battled hard against the England new-ball bowlers early in his innings and then played some breath-taking shots to create the perfect launch-pad for India’s strong middle-order.

Dhawan, in the end, fell short of his 18th ODI ton by two runs when he a soft dismissal ended his innings.

Asked about the pressure he has been under of late to keep his spot in the side, Dhawan said as experienced player he knows how to handle such situations.

"In international cricket, pressure is always there and the good thing is as a (an) experienced player, I know how to handle pressure nicely," Dhawan said at the post-match press conference.

The left-hander said he knows what shots to play on when on different wickets after playing ODI cricket for so long.

"And secondly, as I said, because I am experienced player, so I know what shots to play on what wickets and we read the wicket nicely and communicate very nicely in the batting unit and that's what we did and that worked for us." "Of course, once I got set, I have a lot of shots, that I can get my runs," he said.

Dhawan explained how he kept himself positive when things were not going his way.

"I kept myself quite positive when I wasn't playing in the T20 series. I was focusing on my process, fitness, skill-work, gym-work and I always stay in a positive mental space. "I always try and look at the positives from every situation. That's what I was doing. I was working on my batting. I knew that if I get an opportunity, I'll take it." Dhawan also said that the wicket at the MCA stadium on Tuesday was seaming and swinging.

"It wouldn't have made any sense if you would have gone hard at the start, losing few wickets, so our plan was just stay on the wicket and respect the good deliveries.

"We knew that both of us, Rohit and me, we can always cash those runs later on and wicket would have been bit more supportive for the batsmen and even that also in the end we scored such a big total," he added.

The opener also had words of praise for the young players who have come into the side and spoke about how the IPL has helped them.

"The new players who have come into the side, it feels that they are confident, because they play so many domestic games and IPL and they share dressing room with big players, play against them, that builds confidence and they feel that there are same players at the international level.

"There are top notch coaches there, so the IPL exposure helps a lot, and our domestic cricket is strong, it is good mix of the two, because of which the new players are performing, so whenever the team transition happens, it won't be felt," the 35-year-old Delhi player noted.

(With PTI inputs)