NEW DELHI: Partners in one of the most successful opening pairs in 50-over cricket, they cut contrasting figures. Like many constituents of the most productive associations down history, they are left and right to begin with. Not just as batsmen, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are also different in the way they are esteemed and in the treatment players receive when they hit the inevitable rough patch.
If the one from Mumbai is highly rated for the way he can make runs, the Delhi man is known more for getting runs than the way they are made. They like it or not and irrespective of whether such labelling is accurate, Dhawan is the workman compared to his companion at the other end, who walks back with the credit for providing aesthetic pleasure. This difference in perception extends to evaluation when things don’t click. Usually, it’s Dhawan under scrutiny rather than Rohit.
He was in that situation again, before the fourth ODI against Australia in Mohali on Sunday. Not that another failure would have jeopardised his World Cup chances, but record more than form would have been the yardstick for that selection. Dhawan had to get runs after aggregating 22 in the first three matches and although his career-best 143 came in a losing cause, he was one of the few Indians to have arrived in Delhi with some positives from that game which will be remembered for the turbulence caused by Ashton Turner.
Dhawan said after the game that he tries to stay calm when doubts are raised about his abilities. Cutting himself off from the outer world is another method he prefers. “There’s no point cribbing or feeling sad. When I feel hurt, I move on quickly. I don’t read newspapers or take information which I don’t want to. I live in my own world so that I make sure my thoughts are going in the right direction. I make sure I keep my composure. That’s when I perform the best.”
Not the first man to say such things, but following these, Dhawan is near the top of the pile when it comes to the most successful ODI opening pairs. With an aggregate of 4526 runs between them in 100 matches at 45.71, he and Rohit are fourth on the all-time list headed by Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. With an average of 44.89 and a robust strike rate of 93.93, the left-hander has played an almost equal role in this partnership despite not being accorded the same status as Rohit.
Elaborating on the process that keeps him going, Dhawan said it’s about keeping himself occupied. “Everyone talks with himself. When I talk to myself, I make sure that I cut down negative thoughts and accept reality and move on. I don’t resist anything. If it’s good, then it’s good. I concentrate on doing all my skill-related work, fitness and mindset. If I’m doing these three things right, that’s it. Then I can sit back and enjoy.”With the series headed for an unexpected decider at Feroz Shah Kotla on Wednesday, the Indian team is in no position to sit back and enjoy. But with one of their important players back in his zone, the team management can possibly think that one more box has been ticked before they wind up preparatory operations for the World Cup.