Looking at Shikhar Dhawan on and off the field one would never get the feeling that his position in the Indian side has been seen from the corner of the eye for a good two-three years now. Dhawan is always relaxed, sporting a big smile, looking for an excuse to switch his celebration mode on. Even while batting, he seldom appears to be under pressure, rarely plays a shot in anger and accumulates most of his runs through precise timing. There was no change in the left-hander’s mood when he faced questions about India trying to stay alive in the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh after losing the first one from being in a winning position.
The pre-match press conference ahead of the second ODI started on an interesting note. Dhawan was kind of bemused by the first question but upon clarification, he came up with a tremendous reply.
“Of course you’d be looking to make a fresh start…” Asked a reporter at the start of the press conference on Tuesday. He had to repeat the question after Dhawan couldn’t hear it properly and looked bemused. “You will be looking for a new start tomorrow,” he added.
“Yeah, of course I can’t do an old start,” Dhawan answered followed by a big laugh. “Yes, it’s going to be a new start. We are looking forward to it. We are in a positive and good space,” the India opener said.
Watch Video: Shikhar Dhawan’s press conference ahead of India vs Bangladesh 2nd ODI
Having failed to take the last wicket when Bangladesh needed more than 50 runs, Indian bowlers could not deliver but there is no denying the fact that a star-studded batting line-up needs to show more responsibility.
The last time India played a bilateral series in Bangladesh was back in 2015 when under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the team lost the three-match series 1-2 and the only win came in the dead third rubber.
History could repeat itself at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium if spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraj can once again keep the Indian batters under wraps between overs 11-40.
Dhawan, however, said he was confident about winning the next two matches and taking the series.
“We are very very confident. This is not the first time we have lost the first game in the series. It’s quite normal. We know how to bounce back from these situations. Bangladesh is playing good cricket. The last match was an interesting game, a low-scoring one. In the end, they dragged the game away from us, this doesn’t happen that often. We analysed where we need to improve. We will try to create more impact in the coming games,” he said.
