T20 World Cup 2022 - "It's a big pressure game and they need to control their nerves" - Shikhar Dhawan on India's semi-final clash
Indian batter Shikhar Dhawan said the collective effort by the Indian team in the ongoing T20 World Cup is a good sign. The Indian team qualified for the semi-final of the ongoing tournament on Sunday following South Africa's defeat to the Netherlands.
However, India still managed to defeat Zimbabwe by 71 runs in their final group stage game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to head into the last-four stage with a win.
KL Rahul (51) and Suryakumar Yadav (61*) starred with the bat to power the team to 186/5. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked up three wickets, while Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami got two each as Zimbabwe were bundled out for 115 in 17.2 overs.
India finished as the leaders of Group 2, having won four games and their only loss came against South Africa.
Speaking on the Men in Blue's approach in the semi-final, in case they qualify, Shikhar Dhawan told India Today on the day before the final set of matches:
"They have to play good cricket in Australia and everyone knows their role. When the team performs with collective effort, as any championship is not won based on individual excellence."
Shikhar Dhawan feels that the team will need to stay focused in the knockout matches and players shouldn't let the pressure mount on them.
"If we look at the moment, then everyone is performing and that is a good sign for our team. It's a big pressure game and they need to control their nerves and be in the present."
"He is a match winner" - Shikhar Dhawan on Arshdeep Singh's tremendous run in T20 World Cup
India's left-arm speedster Arshdeep Singh has been the pick of their bowling unit. He is capable of picking early wickets and can curb runs during the slog overs.
Arshdeep has claimed 10 wickets at an average of 14.1 in the tournament so far. He dismissed the likes of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Asif Ali to register 3/32 on his T20 World Cup debut.
Shikhar Dhawan, who is a teammate of Arshdeep at Punjab Kings in the IPL, said the youngster is very much aware of his strengths and has come back stronger since the Asia Cup 2022.
We believe until the end 🇮🇳 https://t.co/eLoP2vzTOS
"He is a match winner and if you look, he won us the last game against Bangladesh in the last over. Of course, he has great skills but as a youngster he has a great understanding of his strengths.
"As an individual, you should know your strength and how you work on them matters. Arshdeep's self belief is very strong even when he dropped the catch against Pakistan and suffered too much criticism in the Asia Cup. He didn't shatter his self-confidence, instead, he channelised his energy and used it for his benefit and that's what champions do."
India will meet Jos Buttler's England on November 10 in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup at the Adelaide Oval. Earlier in July, the Men in Blue had beaten England 2-1 in a T20I bilateral series played in the latter's backyard.