Punjab Kings opener Shikhar Dhawan batted brilliantly as he smashed a solid 88 runs against Chennai Superkings in game 38 of IPL 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium. Punjab had lost their opener Mayank Agarwal early, but Dhawan alongside Bhanuka Rajapaksa combined well to take their team out of troubled waters. Shikhar Dhawan went past his earlier highest score this season — 70 against Mumbai Indians in Pune.
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Dhawan got an able ally in Rajapaksa who made 42 from 32 balls with the help of two fours and as many sixes as the duo frustrated the CSK bowlers for a long stretch in the innings. Punjab made a slow start after being sent in to bat and their captain Agarwal’s struggles this season continued as he was out in the sixth over for 18 off 21 balls. They reached 37 for 1 after powerplay overs. Dhawan and Rajapaksa kept the scoreboard ticking with singles and doubles though without too many boundaries. The duo took Punjab to 72 for 1 at the halfway mark.
“The process, I always talk about it, I focus on it. About my fitness, my approach – I keep working on those skills. Results will take care of themselves,” he said.
He also added that he has become a senior in the team and he keeps on giving inputs to the younger lot. He revealed that youngsters in his side think a lot. “I have become a senior in the team (laughs), I give a lot of input to the players and my captain, on the field. The youngsters think a lot, sometimes they overthink, so I try to communicate with them. I talk about the law of attraction and how to achieve big in life.”
“The wicket was stopping a bit, I tried to go for the big shots, but I couldn’t connect. But I kept my calm. Once I get set, I can get those boundaries, that’s what I bank on. While batting first it’s about putting pressure on the bowlers and getting boundaries. We don’t have to lose too many wickets, that was our conscious effort,” he added.
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