Shikhar Dhawan admits to India's misjudgment with dew
The ball was difficult to grip towards the end, Dhawan claims, helping Australia pile on the runs and cross the finishing line.
Published : Mar 11, 2019 00:15 IST
After having found no dew in the third One-Day International (ODI) in Ranchi, India made an error in judgment on Sunday, opener Shikhar Dhawan admitted after his team stumbled to a four-wicket defeat against Australia here.
Towards the business end of Australia’s chase, the fast bowlers – Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah – leaked boundaries. Ashton Turner garnered the big hits to help his team chase down a mammoth 359 in the 48th over.
“[In Ranchi,] we had expected that dew was going to come, but it didn’t. We didn’t expect that dew would come today, but it came very heavily. When you put up such a big total on the board, it’s obvious that there’s pressure for the other side and not on our bowlers. We were quite in control [of the contest] till the 37th or the 38th over. The ball was coming so nicely on to the bat that you could play any shot on that sort of a surface,” Dhawan said.
Read: Turner seals series-levelling win
With five fours and six sixes, many of them hit down the ground, Turner took the game away from India. Commenting on the match-winning knock, Dhawan said, “I would give credit to him that he played with that composure and took the game away from us. Many of his shots went beyond the rope. He played really well.”
Dhawan himself played an attacking knock when India batted, with plenty of enterprising strokes all around the ground. It was a return of form for the opener, and despite the defeat of his team, he was pleased with his innings.
“I enjoyed my innings. It was very satisfying to score a century. It’s always satisfying [but] it’s sad that we lost the game. We had a good total on the board. It’s all right, we have another game coming up, so we would [like to] put this game aside and move ahead,” he said.
Dhawan revealed he doesn’t bother about speculations and comments on him in the mass media. Despite a poor run with the bat before this knock, Dhawan wasn’t unduly worried.
He said: “First of all I don’t read newspapers, I don’t take information that I don’t want to. I don’t know what’s happening in the world; I just live in my own world. I make sure that I keep my composure. I know I perform best when I’m calm. There’s no point cribbing [about poor form] or being sad. Of course, as a batsman I feel hurt, but I move on quickly from it.”
He added: “When I talk to myself, I make sure I cut down the negative thoughts and accept what the reality is out there for me and just move on. I keep working on my fitness, my skills and my mindset, and then I wait and enjoy.”
Dhawan also played down any undue scrutiny on wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. Having replaced M. S. Dhoni, who is known to be alert behind the stumps, Pant missed a stumping opportunity in the 44th over, a seemingly important moment in the contest.
“Rishabh is a young bloke and like any other young bloke, you have to give time to the youngsters. Dhoni has played for so long and for so many years, so where’s the comparison? Of course, if the stumping had been effected then, the game could have turned around,” Dhawan concluded.