DC opener Shikhar Dhawan in action against PBKS in Ahmedabad on Sunday (May 2, 2021).
Over the past two years, Shikhar Dhawan saw himself lose spots in the national T20 and Test squad over a combination of lack of form and injury. In the same period, young names like Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill have laid a strong claim for the spot too; shrinking his chances further and limiting him to an ODI opener with Rohit Sharma.
However, his current flow of form in IPL 2021, which first saw him play second fiddle to Prithvi Shaw in win over Kolkata Knight Riders with a knock of 46-ball 47 and then backed it up with a lead knock of 47-ball 69 in a successful 167-run chase against PBKS on Sunday,
His performance made former teammate and cricketer Irfan Pathan, on a TV show, say he is ready for a comeback in one format and is surely showing all intent of making the most out of it.
Speaking after the match, in a detailed discussion on his batting, Dhawan said he has been working on his run-scoring and increased his strike rate, especially when the pitch is favourable.
"It's good to get the strike rate up and get the price up as well! (laughs) I keep tabs on both runs and strike rate, both sync. But it depends on the wicket as well, you have to respect it. Today there was dew, last two games there weren't. When it comes on nicely I take more risks," he said after the match.
Speaking of his two contrasting but effective performances, which saw him had good partnerships with Shaw,
"I've been playing with Prithvi for three years now. He makes it easy for me the way he strikes it. At the same time, I stick to my process. The last match there was nothing to do from my side, but this match I knew I had to cash in," he said.
