Shikhar Dhawan will be back in action when Team India take on England in the 1st ODI on Tuesday at Kennington Oval in London. He has been in great nick lately, scoring eight fifties in the format since 2020. He had an excellent outing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 in which he scored 460 runs in 14 games, averaging 38.33.
Dhawan’s return will also lead to his reunion with captain Rohit Sharma at the top of the batting order. The camaraderie is well known in the ODIs, standing as the 2nd best opening pair in the world in the 50-over format.
The 36-year-old seems extremely focused on ODIs as he eyes a spot in the squad for the 2023 World Cup, scheduled to be held in India. In order to keep himself going, he will feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali and also, the next year’s IPL.
In a conversation with The Telegraph, Dhawan revealed that he has been practising for the England ODIs and hopes to find the rhythm soon.
“I understand the need to prepare well before a tour, so I make sure to keep focusing on my basics and the method of my preparation. I had been practising for quite some time for the England ODIs and I’m sure I’ll be in fine rhythm in the coming matches,” Dhawan was quoted as saying.
“My focus is definitely on next year’s World Cup and for that, I want to play as many matches as possible for India and do well there. In between, there will be the IPL as well, so I will try to do well there and also look to play the domestic one day and T20 matches,” he added.
Joining the team after more than four months is quite a long time, given the current scenario of international cricket. However, Dhawan banks on his vast experience and believes that his ‘calm mind’ would help him succeed.
“I’ve loads of experience in the first place. Also, I’m quite confident about my basics and technique, which are important facets of an opener. At the same time, a calm mind helps me build my innings and convert them into big scores. That keeps me in a good headspace,” he further said.
Get all the latest updates on Cricket News, Cricket Photos, Cricket Videos and Cricket Scores here