- Dhawan will lead India in the West Indies ODI series after Shamra has been rested.
- This marks his second tour as skipper.
- He was not able to perform well against England.
On the West Indies tour, Shikhar Dhawan has already accomplished something that few people can: he has orchestrated a viral Instagram video with head coach Rahul Dravid. It consists of the majority of the squad currently in the Caribbean for the three One-Day Internationals beginning on Friday at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.
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Off the pitch, “doing things together” and “sharing experiences” are equally important to Dhawan as winning on the field. Rain has hampered India’s three-day build-up since their arrival, forcing them to practise indoors.
“I’m very excited,” Shikhar Dhawan said ahead of the first ODI. “Whenever I get a chance to work with the youngsters, I feel I can share my experience with them. Everyone does skill work, but I like to speak about the mental aspect and bring an impact to their games.”
Dhawan is on his second tour as skipper; he previously worked with Dravid in Sri Lanka. India’s stand-in skipper emphasised a bustling locker room.
“We have a great bond,” he said. “We had been to Sri Lanka [last year] and bonded well there. There is an understanding, which is very good. I feel my energy and nature are such that we’re all together. That liveliness within the group creates a good bond. There’s always fun and games, and a lot of laughter. Earlier, we had team dinners and team activities. Now, we do reels too. If people are happy with it, it makes us happy (laughs).”
In England, Shikhar Dhawan recorded scores of 1, 9, and 31*. His failure in the last two ODIs coincided with India’s top-order troubles, something the full-time skipper mentioned following India’s 2-1 series triumph.
Shikhar Dhawan wasn’t worried about his form or media buzz that he was under pressure due to rising competition. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and Shubman Gill are India’s starting possibilities in this group.
“I don’t feel odd, I have heard it for 10 years,” he laughed. “People keep talking, I keep performing. If I listened to them, I wouldn’t be here. I have the experience, so I’m not too worried. As long as I self-analyse and improve, nothing else matters.
“I’m a very positive person. For me, positivity is about self-belief and the confidence you take in. I have that since I’ve been playing for so many years. I’m here because I’ve done some good things. That is the positivity I want to pass on to the youngsters.
“We want to create the kind of energy where we put faith in each other to ensure the result takes care of itself. There is pressure in international cricket, sure, but it’s not the kind of pressure that will change my personality or style of play. I have a lot of belief in myself and the team.”
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