Shikhar Dhawan - 'Sachin soaks all the pressure'
You have opened the batting with some of the best in the country, for instance Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and now Sachin Tendulkar. How different is it to open alongside Tendulkar?
The biggest advantage of opening along with Tendulkar is that as a player I get a great sense of security. I hardly feel any pressure because he takes all the pressure on himself and allows youngsters like me to play freely. He always tells me to play the way I want - whether I want to attack or take my time and bat – and it does not matter because he is holding fort at the other end. Obviously, I get to learn a lot from batting along with him, as also instant messages and words of wisdom while in the middle. If you see our performances this season, we have invariably won when Tendulkar has played anchor.
Tendulkar has struck 74 fours and 3 sixes as of April 13. He has reinvented Twenty20 cricket with subtle touches and sublime timing and placement. You have the best seat in the house...
Yes I know! It is a treat to watch him bat from the other end. There are people who feel Twenty20 is all about power and big-hitting but I have never seen Tendulkar play any rash shots, and yet he maintains a great strike rate and gets us off to a flying start. In fact, he never waits for me to start doing the big-hitting. He just keeps piercing the gaps and before I realise we would be 50-0 or something like that. Batting with him has changed my perception about batting. I get to watch his feet movement, his bat speed and follow through, and how he plays the ball so late. It is a treat to watch him bat.
:whistle: :Aarathi: :sara-vedi:
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