‘Skipper Warner’s body language sends us the message that we need to raise our levels’

Main Strength: Shikhar Dhawan feels the Sunrisres have a nice balance and everyone knows know each other’s game well. Photo: V.V.SUBRAHMANYAM

At 30, Sunrisers Hyderabad star opener Shikhar Dhawan says that as a player he is still growing and enjoying his game even while learning from some of his lean patches with the willow.

Reflecting on many aspects of the game, Dhawan says it is a great experience to partner his captain David Warner.

“Given the kind of form he is in, it gives me time to play sensibly, keep wickets in hand and achieve the simple targets we set like for the first six overs and then re-draw our strategy,” he says.

“Yes, David brings a lot of positive energy, for he leads from the front.

“His body language and performances send a message to the players that you have to pick up the levels of excellence and give off your best,” says Dhawan on Warner’s captaincy.

“We have nice balance and I feel it’s quite healthy for our side and we know each other’s game pretty well,” he says.

“Yes, I sometimes do take time but at the end of my innings I happen to consume lesser number of balls in scoring runs. I have the ability to always cash in on runs later on,” says the opener.

Strong base

Dhawan also believes that for any team to be a force to reckon with, it is imperative that the top three provide a strong base for the middle-order in any format of the game.

However, he insists that chasing is not always as easy as it may look from outside.

“A lot depends on the team strategy, pitch and the playing conditions.

“To chase a big total always means pressure, for if you lose early wickets, it is bound to increase,” he says.

On his own stint with SRH, Dhawan says that he is more confident than last year as the team has got more depth in batting and bowling thanks to the presence of players like Ashish bhai (Nehra) and Yuvi paaji (Yuvraj Singh). “It is the team balance which is helping the team win consistently this year,” he says.

Speaking on players handling pressure in different eras, Dhawan says there is a lot more of it from outside now because of the social media and digital world. “But most of the cricketers get used even to this to be successful on the field,” he says.

On the innovative stroke-play, the Sunrisers opener says he doesn’t need to take risks anymore.

“It is not that I should put on display my full range of strokes. I’ll use them when necessary. This is what maturity teaches after playing for a couple of years that you realise that there’s no need to play every shot in the book. The idea now is to be more consistent,” he says.