ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Family time helps Shikhar Dhawan improve performance

Shikhar Dhawan smashed his seventh One-Day International century against South Africa at MCG on February 22.

Indian batsman Shikhar Dhawan, who had a poor show with the bat in India’s disastrous three-month tour Down Under returned to form with a stunning century against South Africa on Sunday in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Many expected him and the team to fail following the defeats they suffered at the hands of the hosts but they proved to the world that they are capable of defending their title with a win over Pakistan in their opening game of the World Cup. Dhawan scored a mature 73, playing second fiddle to centurion Virat Kohli as India beat Pakistan by 76 runs. He smashed his seventh One-Day International (ODI) century against South Africa at MCG on February 22.

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Perhaps, a week-long break before the World Cup after being knocked-out of the ODI Tri-series featuring India, Australia and England or the time spent with family in Australia, his second home after his marriage to Ayesha Mukherjee—a former amateur boxer of Bengali-British origin gave Dhawan the opportunity to work on his shortcomings and improve his skills as a batsman which showed in his game in the two World Cup matches he has played as of now.

When asked how he spent his break, “I cleaned my swimming pool,” Dhawan told The Week, The opener has three kids—two daughters from Ayesha’s first marriage and his one-year-old son, Zoravar and when he is not travelling with the team or for the Indian Premier League (IPL), he is here with them in Australia.

When in Australia, Dhawan trains with Cricket Victoria coaches Gregory Shipperd and Simon Helmot, who is the coach of Dhawan’s IPL team, The Sunrisers Hyderabad. Talking about the 29-year-old’s form Helmot said, “He had a lean patch, it’s good he got runs and he’s back on track.”

“He’s a fun-loving family man,” he added. “He likes to chill out and relax with them when he’s not travelling. I often tell him he’s got the best of both worlds—here in Melbourne and in India!”

Helmot said Dhawan’s strength lies in his natural ability to bat aggressively. “He’s very sorted and strong emotionally. More than technique, it is about confidence,” he said. “Shikhar is very fortunate he doesn’t have to make too many adjustments in all three formats—he’s such a naturally aggressive player,” he concluded.

The southpaw reportedly interacted with Team Director Ravi Shastri a lot and had lengthy discussions with his Sonnet Cricket Club (Delhi) coach, Madan Sharma before the World Cup. “The issue was not about technique actually,” said Sharma. “At this level, you need to make some minor adjustments. It is more about confidence and approach. He didn’t get many runs before the World Cup but he was trying to adapt to suit his needs. He consulted Ravi Shastri for technical assistance.”

Prior to the start of the World Cup Dhawan was quoted to be saying: “I have learnt a lot from these two months and I have treated my successes and failures equally. Those failures have made me stronger and I believe I know my game a lot better now than before.” The team would hope he holds on to his confidence and the fans would pray for an encore.

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