After scoring a half-century for India A in the fourth unofficial one-day match against South Africa A, opener Shikhar Dhawan said he enjoyed playing his innings and that it was the ideal practice for the upcoming T20Is against South Africa.
“I enjoyed it. I was hitting the ball in the middle and it was good that I scored a half-century as well after coming into India A squad after a long time,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“It was good practice for me before the upcoming series against South Africa. I am not part of the Test team so I had enough rest and there is nothing like going out in the middle and playing.
Dhawan has had a topsy-turvy time in the last few months. He scored a gritty century against Australia in the World Cup but a thumb injury sustained in that match ruled him out of the tournament.
He made his return in India colors during the tour of West Indies but found form hard to come by. He registered scores of 1, 23 and 3 in the 3 T20Is and didn’t play the first ODI that followed.
He did feature in the next two ODIs but his returns were again disappointing; he managed scores of 2 & 36 before he returned home.
Nevertheless, he expects to be a key part of the Indian team that plays in the T20 World Cup in 2020.
“Absolutely I am looking forward to scoring a lot of runs for India and be a consistent performer in the next T20 World Cup. As long as I keep performing and enjoying the game I think I will be there.
“The more I play, the more confident I become. Looking at the workload, I think I had enough practice and match practice as well.”
But for now, the man fondly referred to as “Gabbar” is enjoying his time as a senior pro in India A set-up.
“These boys have been doing well and I’m a fun-loving and easy-going guy. So I can mingle with anyone.
“We have a good laugh together and we’ve been having dinner together, which has created a bonding. On the field, when they ask something, whatever knowledge I have I share.”
