Am impactful but inconsistent, says Dhawan after being dropped

02/11/2017

Opener Shikhar Dhawan understands that it is his lack of consistency despite being impactful that has cost him his place in the Indian side. The Delhi player has said that he is working on improving this aspect in order to regain his place and is consulting former players to get the answers.

While the Indian team is giving a harsh welcome to Bangladesh, who are in the country firsrt time for a Test match, Shikhar Dhawan is sweating it out at the Parsee Gymkhana in Mumbai, training with the rest of the North Zone team, who are here preparing for the Syed Mushtaq Ali zonal knockouts.

"I'm all geared up for this tournament. Actually, I wasn't well for the last few days. However, I'm feeling much better today and will be ready for tomorrow's game," Dhawan told The Times of India.

With both the Indian team openers, Murali Vijay and KL Rahul, currently in form, it is unlikely Dhawan would be considered for the upcoming Test series against Australia, the team he started his career against with a Sehwag-esque 174-ball-187.

Now that he's back to where he was before that knock, Dhawan knows what the main problem is.

"I could not be consistent. I tried fully, but it didn't happen, otherwise I didn't feel that I could do anything better. I won't share the details...but I'm working to get that consistency. As a batsman, I always analyse, and as a professional, I try to improve. I got dropped as I wasn't consistent, and I know that to get back in, I've to score consistently. I'm an impactful player, so if I stay out there and score runs, my team is going to win the game. That's my biggest strength and once I start doing it more consistently, I've a good chance of making a comeback," he explained.

The left-hander from Delhi also said that both Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli have talked to him about this issue and that he's been speaking with a former cricketer, who he refused to name, to get back to his run-scoring ways.

"I speak to (a former cricketer), when I feel that I need help and don't get the answers, then I look for answers," he adds.