Shikhar Dhawan calls his move to Delhi Capitals in the IPL 'a challenge'

Indian Cricket Team opener Shikhar Dhawan has called his move from Sunrisers Hyderabad to Delhi Capitals a challenge. The stylish opener spoke about the action during an Instagram LIVE session with former India all-rounder, Irfan Pathan.

Shikhar Dhawan made the switch to his hometown team before the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He was slated to play for the Shreyas Iyer-led team this year as well before the Covid-19 pandemic ensured that the season was suspended indefinitely.

“It was a major challenge for me. I was a little nervous since I was going to a new team after 8 years. Having scored 500 runs every season and been a top performer in the team, I was moving to a new team. At the time, Delhi wasn’t doing well on the table either. It was a big challenge for me. However, I saw an opportunity to overcome a challenge,” he said.

Shikhar Dhawan believes his experience helped him ease into his role at Delhi Capitals

Shikhar Dhawan had a great start to life with the Delhi-based franchise as he scored 521 runs in 16 matches at an average of 34.73 in his very first season with them. Dhawan’s move to Delhi saw an upturn in fortune for the team as they finished third in the tournament following defeat to Chennai Super Kings in the second qualifier of the playoffs.

Shikhar Dhawan credited his success with his new team to his experience. He believes the years of cricket that he has played helped him find a way to face his new challenges.

“Thanks to my experience, I know what to do at what point of time. With experience, one always finds a solution. Instead of fearing failure, experience helps you figure out a solution for the problem. Therefore, my experience helped me in this situation,“ Shikhar Dhawan added.

The former Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman spent eight years at the franchise before moving to Delhi. Shikhar Dhawan had also served as the captain of his team for a brief period in the IPL before being replaced by Darren Sammy.

The 34-year-old believes he needed this change in environment for his career. Shikhar Dhawan also went on to speak about how he relishes being the senior player with this group of youngsters in the team.

“Different setup, different coach… it was good. I needed that change. I love the energy of the team with all the youngsters. I am one of the senior members of the team as well. It was beautiful, I loved it. I loved Sunrisers as well,” Shikhar Dhawan added.

The left-hander has had his fair share of injury problems over the last year, with the last one ruling him out of India’s tour of New Zealand. With IPL 2020 being suspended indefinitely, it is unclear as to when Shikhar Dhawan will be in action again. The former Mumbai Indians batsman will be raring to go in order to earn his place in India’s T20 World Cup squad.