I've Had To Sacrifice A Lot Of My Favourite Food For My Fitness Diet: Shikhar Dhawan
To be successful as an opener in ODI cricket, batsmen must alternate between going on the bowlers early in the innings and making runs all over the park. Shikhar Dhawan, India’s left-handed opener, has been doing this balancing act since his international debut in 2010.
But it wasn’t until 2013 that Dhawan found his groove as an opener in ODIs, becoming the ICC Champions Tournament’s highest run-getter with 363 runs and helping India win the trophy. Since then, Dhawan has been an important member of the ODI team, scoring 6,284 runs in 149 ODIs at an average of 45.53, including 17 hundreds and 35 fifties.
Dhawan, who is widely regarded as an ODI specialist, will return to action in 2022 when India plays three ODIs against England on July 12, 14, and 17. Following this, Dhawan will captain India in a three-match ODI series against the West Indies on July 22, 24, and 27, having previously led the team on a white-ball tour to Sri Lanka last year.
My Basics Have Been Very Strong Since The Beginning: Shikhar Dhawan
When asked about his success in ODIs in an interview by IANS, he said, “I’ve been playing ODIs for quite some years now and that has helped me gain a lot of experience. It’s a beautiful format, there are 50 overs and you have to play aggressively and mellow it down according to the situation and understand the game.
“I feel that my basics have been strong since the beginning, I trust my technique and keep a calm mind while playing, and as an opener, it is very important. I know how to build my innings and convert them into a big score.”
On his diet, he said, “I’ve had to sacrifice a lot of my favourite food items for my fitness diet. I love having dal makhani and lachha parantha but I gave it up for my fitness regime. In order to have a balanced diet, I’ve added green leafy vegetables into my diet. I had to give up fried food items too.”
Dhawan would hope to contribute in a big way in the England series.
Also Read: ENG vs IND: Match Preview – India Tour of England 2022, 2nd T20I
