Shikhar Dhawan Says That He Loves Playing In ICC Tournaments, Focus Is On 2023 ODI World Cup

Veteran India opener Shikhar Dhawan reiterated his love for playing in ICC tournaments and said that his focus was on preparing and playing in the ICC ODI World Cup in 2023 which will be hosted in India.

Dhawan is a dominant player in the ICC 50-over events is no secret. He has played 10 matches in the ODI World Cups so far (in the 2015 and 2019 editions) and has 537 runs under his belt, averaging 53.70.

His best outing came in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, where he won the golden bat award for scoring 363 runs in 5 matches at an average of 90.75, including two centuries and one half-century.

In an interview with the Times of India, Shikhar Dhawan talked about his love for playing in ICC tournaments and how he handles the pressure of performing at such big events.

He said: “I love playing in ICC tournaments. There is always a different feeling and satisfaction and I’ve had some very good tournaments in the past. I prepare and approach every tournament exactly the same way. Every time I wear the Indian jersey, pressure is always there and the thing is, as an experienced player, I know how to handle pressure. The buzz definitely helps, because it adds motivation to my game. I don’t get over-awed by the moment, because my focus, process, and preparation is the same for any tournament I am playing in.”

I Want To Play As Many Matches As Possible For India To Prepare For 2023 World Cup: Shikhar Dhawan

The left-handed batter has now become a one-format player for India as he only plays in ODIs. His last Test match came in 2018 against England and his last T20I match came in 2021 against Sri Lanka. He recently captained the Indian team and became the first captain to guide India to a clean sweep in the ODI series against the West Indies in their own backyard.

However, with him making peace with only playing ODIs, Dhawan also spoke about his focus and preparation for the 2023 ICC World Cup.

“My focus is definitely on next year’s 50-overs World Cup and for that, I want to play as many matches as possible for India and do well in them. In between, there is the IPL as well, so I will try to continue to perform there and look to play the domestic one-day and T20 matches and keep myself match-fit and ready,” he told Times of India.

Dhawan will next be seen in the three-ODI series against Zimbabwe where he was supposed to captain the side. But KL Rahul passed the fitness test and was named the captain instead.

Also Read: India’s T20 Team Needs To Revolve Around Suryakumar Yadav – Saba Karim