SA vs IND, 1st ODI: Shikhar Dhawan answers critics with a dazzling knock

It proved to be a bad day in the office for Team India who were second to South Africa in every department in the first ODI. As a result, the hosts have got their noses ahead and taken an early 1-0 lead in the series. Despite that, the silver lining in the defeat was the form and temperament shown by opener Shikhar Dhawan.

Fighting for his spot in the team with questions raised about his inclusion quite frequently, Dhawan played a solid knock of 79 runs which looked to set the tone for a victory for the Men in Blue. However, quick dismissals of Dhawan and Virat Kohli turned the tide as South Africa bounced back in the game.

This was Shikhar Dhawan’s first appearance for India in six months and he has gone through a tough period recently. From not getting picked for the T20 World Cup despite a strong IPL 2021 campaign to going through marital separation, the 36-year-old has had to deal with a plethora of setbacks.

Despite this, he managed to impress with the way he played in the first ODI and seemed to repay the team’s faith in him. In the post-match press conference, Dhawan mentioned that he has learned to stay calm in the face of adversity and tries to shut out external noise.

“I don’t listen to media or don’t read newspaper or watch news, so that way I don’t take all those information. I have full faith in myself – the kind of player I have become, I have great clarity on what my game is – and I stay quite calm.

“And this is part of playing, everybody’s life has ups and downs, it’s nothing new. It’s not that it’s happening for the first time or for the last time in my career or life, so it’s alright and that only makes me stronger,” Shikhar Dhawan said

With the ODI World Cup being nearly 20 months away, Dhawan was asked about his goals for the next two months. The opener mentioned that he wants to stay fit and healthy.

“My personal target is to stay fit, stay healthy. And if I am fit and healthy, with my experience, I’ll keep scoring lots of runs,” he stated.