Shikhar Dhawan has been in fine form for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020, scoring 529 runs at an average of 44 and a strike-rate in excess of 136. IPL 2020 has also been very special because he broke a 13-year jinx and scored a century in the IPL for the first time. In fact, he went one better and scored two centuries against Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings. This was the fourth time that Shikhar Dhawan has gone past 500 runs in a single edition of the IPL and when asked during the virtual press conference that whether this was his best season, Shikhar Dhawan had a hilarious response.
“I’ve been scoring over 500 for the past four years so all should be best – but this season, I’ve also scored two centuries and had two ducks – which is something that I’ve never done before. But the key for me is to maintain my form and help my team. For me, all seasons are good – I always play with good intent and passion,” Dhawan said.
Delhi Capitals have made it to the IPL playoff for the second consecutive season and they will be aiming to overcome their playoff blues and enter the final for the first time ever. Shikhar Dhawan has said the clarity of message given by the head coach Ricky Ponting has played a big role in making the team environment positive and happy.
“Having him (Ricky Ponting) as coach is a huge advantage. He always backs us with everything, and gives us clarity in difficult situations. He’s always ready for open chats – he would ask for feedback about the coaching staff also – to get the best out of the team. So he’s got great communication with all of us – not just the playing XI, but everyone, and he’s been really fantastic for us,” Dhawan said.
Advice for Prithvi Shaw
While Shikhar Dhawan is scoring brilliantly, his opening partner Prithvi Shaw has struggled to match up his feats of last year. Sha has struggled and was dropped recently for his string of poor scores. However, Dhawan has asked the youngster to be positive and just back himself.
“He’s timing the ball very nicely and hit 3-4 boundaries the other day, so my advise to him would be to stay calm, to stay positive. I think he just needs to believe in himself and trust his ability and his process – I’m sure he will get through this and perform well going forward,” Dhawan said.
Mumbai Indians have a 14-12 head-to-head advantage against Delhi Capitals in the IPL, having defeated them in both matches in IPL 2020. With Rohit Sharma coming back to the team after a hamstring injury, Shikhar Dhawan believes that heading into Qualifier 1, no team has an upper hand.
“I don’t think they have an upper hand. We’ve got a quality team and we know we can beat any team. We just have to play good cricket and have to be very clear with our plans. I believe if we manage to do that, we can certainly win. Rohit is a very good player, and yes he hasn’t played many matches so I’m not sure about his touch, and that means that we can definitely take advantage of it,” Dhawan said.
