Shikhar Dhawan: 'I played close to body & avoided drives against seamers'

Indian batsman Shikhar Dhawan admittedthat he has been playing more 'box cricket' and conservative cricket. Dhawan added that over the years, experience has taught him to play selective shots.

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Looking to make a comeback

Speaking to a news website after scoring an unbeaten 137 runs for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy match, Dhawan said, "I hardly played any drives against the fast bowlers. For long parts, I played what we call box cricket: play at balls only close to the body. When I was a 20-year-old boy like the other Delhi youngsters, even I used to play the drive in these conditions." 

The 34-year-old has endured a difficult 2019 where he has suffered multiple injuries which has affected his form. His replacement KL Rahul has welcomed the opportunity with open arms and has been helping Rohit Sharma at the top of the innings. 

A few days ago, Dhawan admitted that Rahul's form will make his comeback slightly more difficult and that it is a 'fresh start' for him. Speaking to reporters before the Ranji match he said, "This is a fresh start for me. I was hit on the finger, then on the neck, bruised eye and then stitches on the knee. Good news is New Year is coming. I am happy that KL has done so well. He has grabbed the opportunity. So I am going to go and express myself. 

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Dhawan accepts that the Sri Lanka T20 series, from which Rohit Sharma is taking a break, will be important for him as all three (him, Rahul and Rohit) are available against Australia. "This is an important season. I would like to perform well in the T20s against Sri Lanka but the selection is support staff's (team management) headache. They will do their job and I will do mine. Looking forward to scoring big runs."  The 34-year-old, who played the last of his 34 Tests back in September 2018 against England, is playing a red-ball game after 15 months. 

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(With Agency inputs)