At the stroke of tea, the Indian opener was dismissed by Devendra Bishoo 16 short of what would have been his fifth Test hundred. At the end of Day 1, Dhawan spoke to media about the missed opportunity to get a hundred on West Indie soil, his partnership with Kohli, the mindset during his 84-run knock and more. Excerpts:
You got out at a wrong time and missed the hundred...
Felt sad and disappointed that I got out especially when I was set and scoring runs. Had spent enough time in the middle and at the same time I am happy that I started on a good note and would like to carry on my good performances in coming matches.
Did you get upset about missing the opportunity to score a hundred?Sad about missing it by few runs, (I) was sad until I came back to pavilion. After that, (I) moved on and it is important to do that. But I am also happy that I scored 84 and want to make use of the form I am in.
What was the rationale behind sending Ashwin at No. 6?I don't know. You will have to ask the coach and captain.
What was your mindset during today's knock?I feel that in the first session the wicket was fresh and the bowling was very good. So I was respecting the good balls and knew that I cannot afford to take a chance because there was extra bounce on the wicket. So I was playing close to my body and was not in a hurry and relaxed at the crease.
You thoughts on Kohli's century?He has played a tremendous knock and scored a hundred and continued scoring. Hopefully he scores big runs and gets a double hundred after 150. It feels good to bat with him and we were rotating strike and scoring runs at a good pace. I feel that made a difference because we made the partnership in 120 balls or something. That is a good thing and it is always a pleasure to watch Virat, the way he times the ball.
How crucial was your partnership with Kohli?My partnership with Pujara was also important because the ball was new at that time and it was important to leave the ball at that time. The middle order got benefit of that because the ball was older and my partnership with Virat benefitted from that. We scored at good pace and it impacted the game and Virat has been batting really well which is not new.
Are you looking to bat only once?Too early to ask that. (I) cannot say that (just yet). We would like to score as many runs as possible because turn might come in on second or third day.
How important is it for the player to have the captain or the coach's backing?I feel it is important for any player if the captain (or the) coach are backing. It gives a lot of confidence and belief that you are team mates or captain or coach backs you. That's what matters and you also need to have self belief that you can do that and it is a mixture of everything.
Do you think you are in a strong position after Day 1?We are in a good position especially because we are playing with only five batsmen. So we are in a good position and we will want to bat as long as possible tomorrow that will also tire them out. Good thing is we have Virat set and batting, maybe he will score double and triple century.
You went with five batsman on a tough pitch, how challenging is opening the innings under such circumstances?I think opening is the toughest work and you need a big heart for it. New wicket, new ball and they bowl with full energy and as opener your technique should also be good because you have to leave a lot of balls and you need patience as well. Middle order needs it too but new ball has its own challenge. Vijay got a good ball, it was a very quick ball. I was luckier in that sense so Gabriel was bowling really well and with time you get that experience. Now I know better from past that which balls to leave and that is from experience and it helps improve the game and my shot selection. and it showed in the partnership with Pujara and Kohli.
No comments:
Post a Comment