Shikhar Dhawan on batting with Rohit Sharma: “We work on auto-pilot mode”

Shikhar Dhawan on batting with Rohit Sharma: In an interview with Ravi Shastri, both Dhawan and Sharma cherished batting with each other.

After India beat Pakistan by 9 wickets in a thrashing manner, the team received instant approbation from cricket experts and fans all over the world. In which was their fourth consecutive victory in the tournament, it had put light on their dominating form so far.

Post the match, coach Ravi Shastri was seen hosting ‘The Hitman & Gabbar Show’, where he interview Indian openers in captain Rohit Sharma and vice-captain Shikhar Dhawan, both of whom had scored individual centuries yesterday. Shastri started by congratulating the players on their fantastic individual knocks.

“Ya. Absolutely. When we went in to bat, we knew that Pakistan has got a quick pace attack and that we have to stay there for at least 10-15 overs to get rid of the new ball. Once we were set, we enjoyed each other’s company out there”, said Dhawan about he and Sharma complementing each other.

“If suppose Rohit was going aggressive, I was taking the backseat and if I was going aggressive, Rohit was taking the backseat. The good thing is that we have played so many games together, we don’t have to say much. We work on auto-pilot mode”, he added.

There have been lot of opinions about the pitch seeming better to bat on during the second innings in Dubai. On being asked about the same, Sharma was quoted, “The pitch was good. I’ve been talking about it that under the lights it gets slightly better. You see the ball well.”

A major reason why Sharma and Dhawan are riding up the ladder as far as records at the top of the order are concerned is because of their left-right combination. When such a pair takes on the bowlers at the start, life becomes difficult for the bowlers. Sharma agreed to the fact that this combination helps them to dictate terms in the middle.

“We’ve seen in the past that how bowlers struggle to keep bowling the same line and length. When two right-handers are batting, it is very easy to keep hitting the same length. We do understand that the new ball is very important.

“Like Shikhar said, we completely understand the threat that the Pakistani bowlers will possess with the new ball. So, we spoke about it in the middle regarding rotating the strike. It changes the bowler’s mindset. After staying in the middle for 10 overs, it is important to not give it away”, he further added.

From the outside, Dhawan appears to be a type of batsman who enjoys the sport irrespective of the situation, an attitude which helps a player chiefly in difficult times. On being asked about whether Dhawan is his usual jolly dressing room self in the middle or a bit more serious than that, Sharma said that he talks about the game in the first five overs but after that both of them talk about different stuff.

“In the first six overs, we always talk about what we need to do, where we need to take singles, who are the fielders who are struggling, so we talk about that. Once we play 6-7 overs, then it’s better to leave Shikhar alone”, he said in an amusing manner.

Before signing off, Shastri asked Dhawan about the feeling of playing in such a commanding way against Pakistan. “It’s a very proud moment for me. Of course, we both did a great job today. It’s good to play against good attacks and when you score runs, it’s quite satisfying. Now when I’ll be old, I can tell myself that I scored a hundred against Pakistan. It’s a very special thing”, said the 32-year old southpaw.

Watch a little glimpse of the video below: