Shikhar Dhawan scored a gritty fifty as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) cruised to a comfortable victory against Royal Challengers Banaglore (RCB) on Monday, thereby registering their first victory of the Indian Premier league (IPL) 2015.
Dhawan and David Warner opened the innings for SRH and Warner went berserk on RCB bowlers right from the start.
When their partnership was broken by Yuzvendra Chahal who trapped Warner in front of the stumps, they had put 82 runs on the scoreboard in just 7.5 overs. Dhawan is enjoying opening the innings with Warner, as both of them play their shots freely.
"It is very impactful to bat with someone like him. When boundaries are flowing from both ends, the opponent's morale goes down in the beginning itself," said Dhawan in an interview to the official website of IPL.
"Although we haven't opened together for a whole lot of matches, we share a good understanding. For instance, in the last match when I was scoring quickly, he played the support role. The solidity and strength of our batting lies with David and me.
"Today when he went hammer and tongs, I supported him. We balance each other out well," added Dhawan.
When Warner was dismissed, Dhawan knew that he had to stay put at one end to take his side over the line. He anchored the innings along with KL Rahul and was unbeaten at 50 from just 42 balls at the end. It was not an explosive innings, which was very unlikely of someone like Dhawan as he had to patiently watch the blitzkrieg of Warner at the other end.
"It is difficult. I am an aggressive player and resisting the temptation to play my shots is tough for me. But that's the battle you have to win over your own mind. I reminded myself that I have a job at hand and that requires me to bat in a certain way," exclaimed Dhawan.
