Shikhar Dhawan wants India to win the three-match T20I series against New Zealand and carry the momentum forward ahead of the upcoming home ODI series against Australia.
The T20I series begins on Wednesday and India will like to build on their 4-1 ODI series win. India have never won a T20I series against New Zealand at home.
“We will look to win this series and finish on a high note,” Dhawan said. “It’s always good to get wins under your belt and take that momentum back home. When we play against Australia, we like to go with the winning momentum.”
Australia travel to India for a two-match T20I and a five match ODI series beginning February 24. That tour will be the India’s final assignment before the ODI World Cup in England in May-June.
Dhawan feels that India’s preparation for the World Cup is on right track and there is no need to play more ODIs.
“I reckon we played enough ODIs and it’s good that we will play T20. At the end we are humans as well and our body needs rest as well,” he said.
Explaining how he has managed to perform consistently in the shorter version of the game in the last one year, Dhawan said it was because of a change in mindset.
“A lot depends on the wicket. If there isn’t much swing naturally I feel I got a lot of shots that create lot of gaps. That goes in my favour and automatically my strike rate goes up.
“Last year my T20 season went very well and I would like to keep going with the same mindset and same approach,” he said.
Dhawan had a mixed ODI series against New Zealand recently where he managed two fifties but failed to score in the last three matches. In the five games, he scored 188 runs with the highest score of 75*.
The left-handed opener was troubled by swing and to counter that in the T20Is, he has gone to the tennis ball.
“I believe in repetitive skill and for my muscle memory as well. If I keep hitting the same shot, I get better at it. Today it [tennis ball training] was more to get swing and get used to it,” he explained.
“At nets what happens when we are facing a bowler or throwdowns, it is not as consistent. It’s not possible for bowlers to feed me there all the time so I do extra bit with tennis ball.”
Dhawan also said rising wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has become an asset for the team due to his ability to change the course of a game in no time.
Pant, recently adjudged the ICC’s Emerging Cricket of the Year, returns to the side for the T20s against New Zealand starting Wednesday after being left out of the ODIs which India won 4-1.
The 21-year-old is being seen as a successor to Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps and has already proved his worth as a batsman with stellar performances in England and Australia in the longest format. On Tuesday, Dhawan had words of encouragement for the youngster.
“He is an aggressive batsman, an asset for the team, can take away games from opposition in a very short time. I hope he grabs this opportunity (in T20s) with both hands,” said Dhawan.
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