Shikhar Dhawan seeks Virat Kohli's consistency

Indian opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan had a decent Indian Premier League (IPL) season, with over 500 runs under his belt for his franchise and the IPL 2016 Champions, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). But it was the SRH skipper who led the side to the title win with nine fifties and the best score of 93* against Gujarat Lions in the crucial encounter.

“Warner’s intent and positive attitude is really praiseworthy,” Dhawan said in an exclusive chat with NDTV. The Orange cap holder of the IPL this season, Virat Kohli had been in the form of his life as he scored a record 973 runs in the IPL. The Indian Test skipper became the first batsman to score 4 tons in a single edition of the league.

The left-hander said he wishes to acquire the level of consistency Kohli has been able to reach over the years. “If there is anything I want to take from Virat, it is his consistency. He has been playing for seven-eight years and this can come with time. I am playing for three years and if I can last that long, put your heart in every game, I will also get better and better … it is a process,” said Dhawan.

It was a surprise when the SRH skipper chose to bat first after winning the toss at Bangalore Shikhar said that it’s because of the strong bowling line-up SRH possesses with the likes of Purple cap holder Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the latest bowling sensation from Bangladesh Mustafizur Rahman, Moises Henriques, and Barinder Sran. They had been a great bowling unit for the entire season.

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“Bhuvneshwar (Kumar) was superb and the bowlers hunted in packs,” Dhawan said. “This is the reason why Warner decided to bat first after winning the toss,” Dhawan explained. Bhuvneshwar was the best bowler of IPL 2016 with 23 wickets. He also pointed out that Ashish Nehra played his role by sharing his experience with the bowlers. Nehra missed the last few matches of the tournament due to a knee surgery.