For Dhawan, “doing things together” and “sharing experiences” off the field are as important as winning on the field. In any case, India have had plenty of time to bond since much of their three-day build-up since their arrival has been hampered by rain, forcing them to train indoors.
“I’m very excited,” Dhawan said ahead of the first ODI. “Whenever I get a chance to work with the youngsters, I feel I can share my experience with them. Everyone does skill work, but I like to speak about the mental aspect and bring an impact to their games.”
“We have a great bond,” he said. “We had been to Sri Lanka [last year] and bonded well there. There is an understanding, which is very good. I feel my energy and nature are such that we’re all together. That liveliness within the group creates a good bond. There’s always fun and games, and a lot of laughter. Earlier, we had team dinners and team activities. Now, we do reels too. If people are happy with it, it makes us happy (laughs).”
“People keep talking, I keep performing. If I listened to them, I wouldn’t be here. I have the experience, so I’m not too worried. As long as I self-analyse and improve, nothing else matters.”
Dhawan isn’t concerned about the outside chatter on his form
“I don’t feel odd, I have heard it for 10 years,” he laughed. “People keep talking, I keep performing. If I listened to them, I wouldn’t be here. I have the experience, so I’m not too worried. As long as I self-analyse and improve, nothing else matters.
“I’m a very positive person. For me, positivity is about self-belief and the confidence you take in. I have that since I’ve been playing for so many years. I’m here because I’ve done some good things. That is the positivity I want to pass on to the youngsters.
“We want to create the kind of energy where we put faith in each other to ensure the result takes care of itself. There is pressure in international cricket, sure, but it’s not the kind of pressure that will change my personality or style of play. I have a lot of belief in myself and the team.”