Shikhar Dhawan hopeful of emulating Virat Kohli and David Warner

India’s Shikhar Dhawan is hopeful that he will be able to match the consistency shown by his national teammate Virat Kohli and the intent displayed by his skipper at IPL champions Sunrisers Hyderabad, David Warner, the more he plays the game.

Basking in the glory of a maiden IPL success, Dhawan was all praise for Warner who led his side from the front with both his batting and leadership abilities, leading the Hyderabad-based franchise to victory in the 2016 IPL against the Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore side on Sunday. As someone who has been able to share the dressing room with both the in-form batsmen, Dhawan shared his views on what sets the two modern greats apart from the rest.

"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,” Dhawan said, as reported by NDTV Sports.

Dhawan was bullish about his own prospects for the future and believes he can also perform well should he manage to safeguard his position in the side for a considerable number of years.

"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," he said.

Dhawan praised Warner’s approach to the game and felt that the Australian hard-hitting batsman really played to the strengths of the SRH side, thus playing a major role in the side’s success.

"Warner's intent and positive attitude are really praiseworthy," Dhawan said, before adding that Warner was brave enough to have confidence in his bowlers against the start studded RCB batting line-up which consisted of the likes of Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers, apart from Kohli.

"This is the reason why Warner decided to bat first after winning the toss," Dhawan explained.

Dhawan all praise for SRH’s fast bowling attack

Dhawan praised the bowling attack of SRH which included the likes of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Mustafizur Rahman, and Ashish Nehra, as crucial to the side’s victory cause. Though the latter missed a big portion of the season due to injury, Dhawan believes the tips the experienced 37-year-old passed on to the younger bowlers were worth their weight in gold.

Dhawan singled out Bhuvaneshwar for high praise- not surprising, considering that the 26-year-old picked up 23 wickets during the IPL. Though he went wicketless in the final, his miserly figures of 4-0-25-0 proved critical in the closely fought contest.

"Bhuvneshwar (Kumar) was superb and the bowlers hunted in packs," Dhawan said.