Dhawan lauds Ashwin's evolution as all-rounder

Chennai: The otherwise desolate SSN cricket ground, which involves a tedious two-hour drive from the city, was a hive of activity on a balmy Monday morning. The sun was out in all its refulgence and one man in particular soaked up the warmth by remaining oblivious to the attention riveted on him.

Knuckling down to the task at hand and awaiting his turn to bat, Shikhar Dhawan, who is in Chennai to represent Delhi against Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy, was disdainful in his treatment of the bowlers at a practice session, as if he were under duress to prove that his thumb fracture had completely healed.

With K.L. Rahul sitting out the ongoing third Test against England at Mohali owing to a forearm injury, all indications are that Dhawan will stride out to open in Mumbai for the fourth Test. After a short yet intense batting stint at the nets, the 30-year-old, Dhawan, spoke to the media about his recovery process and the ‘healthy’ competition among the players for the opener’s slot.

“I’m feeling fit. It’s nice to play a Ranji match again after a long time. My preparation remains the same for every match, be it domestic or international,” said Dhawan, who fractured his thumb during the second Test against New Zealand at Kolkata.

Dhawan pointed to the encouraging signs of growing competition with the emergence of young players as that will help the team strive for betterment. “It’s (competition) always nice to have as that will make us perform consistently. It’s unfortunate that Rahul is injured, and I hope he makes a quick recovery,” added Dhawan.

At the mere whisper of R. Ashwin’s name, Dhawan gushes over the overarching clout the off-spinner has wielded with both bat and ball and stressed that the former’s significance as a premier all-rounder couldn’t be overstated. “Ashwin is working hard on his bowling while simultaneously developing into an effective all-rounder. He looks fluent and times the ball well and the runs he contributes can deflate the opponents,” said Dhawan.

Sharing his thoughts on the camaraderie he enjoys with his opening partner and another Tamil Nadu player in Murali Vijay, Dhawan said they both go back a long way and that is reflecting in their on-field displays. “It’s good to see him (Vijay) consolidate his position. Playing with him brings the best out of me. We keep talking about cricket and enjoy each other’s presence,” explained Dhawan.

The time he spent recuperating must have been painful, but, Dhawan opined that the break from the sport did him a world of good as it helped him analyse his short-comings and focus on weeding out the technical flaws. “I constantly keep analysing where I’ve been failing. In a way its good that I got this break as it enabled me to work on improving myself. I take injuries in my stride and aim to come back a better player from that phase,” observed Dhawan.

Shifting his focus to the captaincy of Virat Kohli, Dhawan, highlighted how his Delhi team-mate backs every player to the hilt by injecting fresh dose of confidence despite the odd setback. “He (Kohli) is doing a fantastic job. His confidence is rubbing off on to the team. As captain he backs every member of the team, and that’s a nice quality to have as a leader,” signed off Dhawan.