Shikhar Dhawan supports MS Dhoni's move to No.4

Dhawan is feeling good about his form

Amidst all the criticism pouring in for the Indian team after the loss in the Bangladesh ODI series, it is easy to miss the proverbial silver lining. Though the star of the show was undoubtedly the fiery Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman, there were some players on the Indian side who did exceptionally well.

Dhoni made a courageous move by climbing up to number four, and Ashwin’s bowling was beyond reproach. Shikhar Dhawan knocked all expectations out of the park as he racked up 173 runs in the Test, and finished as the highest run-getter in the ODI series. The final ODI win can be credited to Dhawan, for the most part, as he knocked 75 off 73 balls.

Being the notable exception (along with Virat Kohli) who did not fall victim to Rahman’s left-handed deliveries, Dhawan spoke to bcci.tv about what was so special about Rehman’s bowling that wickets fell like dominoes. He opined that the element of surprise was on Rahman’s side, as he was an unknown quantity for the Indian batsmen. The pacer bowled exactly the way the pitch required – he got the desired turn from the wicket because of his slow ball.

Dhawan said that foremost in his mind was maintaining strike-rate, and therefore he tried to waste as less deliveries as possible. The opener scored a respectable 28 runs off 31 balls from Rahman’s bowling, and didn’t vanquish his wicket to him even once.

However, he warned that soon, as batsmen will get used to Rahman’s bowling, the benefit of being an unknown quantity will wear off. Batsmen will figure out his technique and of course, every pitch won’t be as hospitable to his bowling style as this one was.

“We will have to see how he does away from Bangladesh on tougher wickets. Sometimes, it also happens that a player has tremendous skills but he doesn’t know how to handle the pressure. It will be seen how he handles pressure going forward,” said Dhawan.

Dhoni’s move to number 4 had mixed reactions, but Dhawan fully supported the move. Apart from the fact that Dhoni and Dhawan get on well, Dhoni stepping up to the crease comparatively early also increases confidence. Dhawan was having problems against off-spinner Nasir Hossain, and Dhoni alleviated the pressure by hitting the ball for two boundaries in an over.

“He also rotates the strike excellently when required and doesn’t let any scoreboard pressure build on his partner. Having him in the middle-order is very advantageous for us. I feel it’s a very good move,” he added.

Dhawan admits that the loss has hurt the team but gives them due credit by saying that, “They played good cricket and we didn’t”.