I am a stronger person and sportsman now, says Shikhar Dhawan

What’s the story?

Shikhar Dhawan has never been spoken of in the same breath as perhaps a Virat Kohli or a Rohit Sharma, but the left-hander has always proved his detractors wrong with several timely knocks.

Having made a successful comeback to the Indian team post injuries and poor form, Dhawan has managed to capitalise, and how, raising his game during the Champions Trophy to steer India to the finals. Looking back at the difficult period before it, Dhawan has said that the tough hours brought out the best in him.

"Past months were quite unfortunate for me. That's why I was out of the team. I went back and worked on myself, and am a stronger person and sportsman now”, he said.

In case you didn’t know…

A regular feature in the Indian Test team ever since his sensational comeback in 2013, Dhawan injured his finger during the New Zealand tour last year and subsequently lost out on a place.

In the ODI team, he played two games against England, before the selectors decided to try out Ajinkya Rahane at the top of the order.

A watershed IPL year, however, helped him become their number one choice along with Rohit Sharma for the Champions Trophy, and he proved the move right by scoring 338 runs in five games, with a best score of 125.

The heart of the matter

The 31-year-old conceded that he always believed he had the skills and capabilities to perform well at the highest level, and knew that working hard was the only way out while losing hope was not at all an option.

He admitted that he knew he would be out of the team in no time when he wasn’t performing and went back to playing domestic cricket and enjoying it. While he concedes there was less pressure at the domestic level, he always knew that he would have to perform really well if he harbours any chances of reclaiming an Indian team spot.

What’s next?

Part of the Indian team in the ongoing ODI series against West Indies, Dhawan will be back to opening along with Ajinkya Rahane for the third match of the five-match series, scheduled to be held in Antigua on June 30. India already lead the series 1-0.

Author’s Take

While Dhawan has been dubbed ‘inconsistent’ by his detractors quite often, the left-hander has an amazing tendency to invariably up his game during major tournaments, as has been the case for the last half a decade.

Given the slit-throat competition at all levels, and the tendency of out of sight, out of mind in Indian cricket, making a comeback to the national team is never easy. It is plain foolish to take your place for granted, as there’s always someone right behind you to steal your spot. Dhawan has been a picture of sheer determination and should be India’s opening partner with Rohit Sharma without a shadow of doubt