Shikhar Dhawan keen on scoring heavily for Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Sunrisers Hyderabad camp is a delighted unit at the moment after having seen their senior batsman Shikhar Dhawan scoring a match winning ton in the recently concluded Deodhar Trophy. Things have not been a merry ride for Dhawan in the recent times. His poor run of form in the past few months saw him being ousted from the national side. He was subsequently not picked in the national side despite regaining fitness post his recent injury. Now, with the IPL 10 coming in a couple of days time, the Delhi southpaw is eyeing a fitting return to form with the T20 extravaganza.

Interestingly, it was his heroics in the IPL 2012 where he scored in excess of 500 runs, that paved way for his Indian team call up. As per the quotes in News18, Shikhar Dhawan expressed his desire to excel in the upcoming edition of the IPL.

“If you remember, it was the IPL in 2012 which had brought me into the national fold. I had scored 569 runs in 15 games for Deccan Chargers. I had a good time, scoring 5 fifties. I want to do just the same this time and even better than record. For me, the intensity is always the same, be it a domestic tournament or an international tournament. But then, you cannot deny the fact that you can’t get bigger platform than the IPL, so let’s see how this one goes,” quoted Shikhar Dhawan.

He further reflected back at the time when he was out of the side. He noted that he was putting too much pressure on himself and that perhaps worked against him. However, he knew that it was just a matter of time for him to get back to form. He also stressed on the need to play according to situations. Speaking further, he remarked that he was not upset after being dropped. He admits that it was his poor form that saw him dropped from the side and the phase has only helped him love his game more.

“I was putting too much pressure on myself. To be honest, pressure comes naturally when you are fighting it out for your country against the best in the business from across the world. But this time away from the game made me realise that I need to start enjoying myself and play with a free mind. So, even though I had a few poor outings for Delhi, I knew it was just a matter of time as I was once again enjoying my game. And here we are,” he quoted.

“I wasn’t scoring runs and I was dropped. I don’t see anything unfair in it. I used this time away from the senior team to work on my game, both mental and technical. I also used this time to introspect a bit and I can tell you I have started to enjoy my game a lot. I don’t think much about pressure and just go out and give it my best and leave the rest to fate,” he added further.

Lastly, a very jovial Shikhar Dhawan refused to comment on his technical aspect of the game. However, he emphasized on the mental aspect and said he tries not to worry a lot about the success or failure. It is all about enjoying his time in the middle.

“Sorry, no talks about my technical tweaks. But yes, when it came to the mental aspect, I wanted to stay calm and relaxed and not worry too much about success and failure. I know I have done it in the past and I can do it again. So, I just tried to make the most of every opportunity I got in the middle. I wanted to come back after a knock knowing that I had a good time. It is not always about the numbers,” conceded the Delhi batsman.