Shikhar Dhawan
Currently in scintillating form, Delhi Capitals opener Shikhar Dawan has said that he is running faster, feeling fresher and has no fear of being dismissed this IPL season.
The left-hander has scored two consecutive IPL hundreds, the first to achieve the feat, and has gathered two fifties as well, making it a season to remember for him so far.
"I have been playing for 13 years, and this is the first (back-to-back hundreds). So, really happy," said Dhawan after the unbeaten 106 off 61 balls, albeit in a lost cause against Kings XI Punjab on Tuesday.
"I keep my mindset quite positive. Just look to score runs, and not think pitch is doing this or that. I play with courage. I am not afraid to get out," he added dissecting his approach to batting.
"We were lucky we got so much time off so it allowed me to refresh myself both mentally and physically. I am running faster, feeling fresher."
The start of the tournament wasn't all that great for him but Dhawan said even when he wasn't getting a big score, he was hitting the ball as well as one can.
"I was hitting the ball well but I wasn't converting those 20s into 50s. Once you do that, you take that confidence into the next game," he said.
Despite losing against Kings XI Punjab, the Shreyas Iyer-led side is still leading the eight-team standings with 14 points from 10 games.
"The boys have been playing well in other games. Today I had to take the responsibility on myself. It is good that I am scoring consistently so you carry it into the next games," said Dhawan, who remained not out on 101 in the win over Chennai Super Kings in a previous match.
Reacting to the defeat, Dhawan said the game against KXIP is a learning experience for the table-toppers before going into the business end of the tournament. With an aim to consolidate their position at the top, Capitals will next play Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
"We are going to have a discussion and see where we can improve. Of course it is going to be a learning. This is not going to put us down. Just take our lessons, and come back stronger," Dhawan said.
