World Cup 2019: Shikhar Dhawan "Confident" Of Another Successful ICC Tournament

Shikhar Dhawan is one Indian batsman who always lifts his game in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) marquee events like the World Cup and Champions Trophy. With World Cup 2019 approaching near, Indian players and fans expect the 33-year-old left-handed batsman to continue his stellar form in the ICC events, where he has scored 1,113 runs, including five hundreds, at an average of 65 in 18 One-Day International matches. Shikhar Dhawan is confident of performing well in the upcoming quadrennial event, which starts on Many 30 in England and Wales. "People tell me about my record in ICC events but frankly speaking, the intent has always been the same. It's not that the effort is less than 100 percent ever. The focus as always is on the process. I am confident that I will have another good ICC tournament," Dhawan told PTI during an interview.

Dhawan had a modest international season before roaring back to form in the IPL, scoring 521 runs for Delhi Capitals to finish fourth in the top run-getters' list.

"I am not that sort of a guy who feels the pressure. I have the ability to remain unfazed. And critics? Woh apna kaam kar rahein hain (They are doing their job). If I don't score runs in 5-10 games, it doesn't mean that everything is lost. I know what kind of a player I am and what my capabilities are," said the southpaw batsman, who has 16 ODI hundreds and 5,355 runs to his name in 128 ODIs.

Asked if the dissection of his technique outside the off-stump and the kind of analysis done bothers him, the senior opener replied, "To know what is being written about me, I need to read the newspapers or watch television. I don't do both, so what's being discussed hardly bothers me. And as far as social media is concerned, yes I am on twitter and Facebook but I hardly use them."

"I am not someone who is constantly checking twitter updates or Instagram comments. I just check it occasionally. Let me tell you something -- I don't have time for negativity in my life. It can bog you down if you constantly want validation from the outside world. I don't need that," he said.

In fact, he says, Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly's presence in Capitals' fold couldn't have happened at the right time. "Both Ricky and Dada were successful international captains because they had the ability to create champions. Obviously their experience helps. They told me that there is no problem with my technique."

(With PTI inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

Shikhar Dhawan India Cricket Team World Cup 2019 Cricket