The pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly was undoubtedly the best opening pair ever for India but their contemporaries, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma is also becoming a very successful opening pair. As bold as the claim might seem, Shikhar Dhawan believes that with Rohit Sharma he could be even more successful than the Sachin-Sourav pair and said, “Surely, we can have that between us.”
In a recent press conference in Kolkata, before leaving for Bangladesh for the upcoming Asia Cup T20, Dhawan said, “The way Sachin and Sourav had a long career in opening, we can have that in time. You never know, maybe we can break more records. I’m always positive. It sure is going to benefit the both of us, and more than that it will benefit our country,”
Whether they eventually become more successful or not it is another question altogether but there is no doubt they have potential. Though between them, Rohit is the more accomplished limited-overs batsman with more shots and a greater conversion record. But Dhawan’s small statement gave an insight into how the pair approaches every match.
Rohit and I understand each other very well
Dhawan said, “Rohit and I have been opening for a long time. We understand each other very well. We know each other’s nature very well. I know what he likes to do in the middle. We are quite comfortable. We both have a lot of stroke-making abilities, so it becomes easy. If he plays fast I can play the role of rotating the strike,”
Dhawan too has enjoyed a good form of late after going through a rough patch when he was getting dismissed to poor shorts after building pressure on him by wasting a lot of deliveries. Dhawan feels that the ability to keep him together has come from experience.
I am getting more experienced and matured with time
The left-handed said, “It’s a journey. I am getting more experienced and matured with time. I am getting to know my game better. But in bad patches, I tried to stick to basics. I learn in both the good and bad times. It’s a part of life. I believe in my abilities,”
The confidence shows in his short selection and from the fact that he never curbs his natural instinct. It showed in his debut Test in Mohali, where he raced to 187 from 174 deliveries, as it did in the 25-ball 51 in Ranchi about a week back against Sri Lanka.
The Delhi-born cricketer said, “I was enjoying the flow (in Mohali) and I thought it is of no use to control myself as my natural instinct had taken over my mindset. I just wanted to let go. It worked for me. I feel it’s a balance of both. How you make it better with time, that’s the key. I try to do that when I go in the middle,”
The opening pair’s good form in giving India a good start was curtailed in India’s last two T20 series win over Australia and Sri Lanka respectively. Their form will also be a vital factor for India’s chances in the upcoming Asia Cup T20 and World T20.
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