Focused to stay hungry, says centurion Shikhar Dhawan

This century was his third consecutive 50+ score in the tournament and he said he was always in good nick even before these three good knocks.

 Hyderabad: Delhi Capitals jumped back to the top of the table after toppling Chennai Super Kings on Saturday on the back of their opener Shikhar Dhawan’s maiden IPL century (101 not out) and some good hitting from Axar Patel in the final over of Ravindra Jadeja.

This century was his third consecutive 50+ score in the tournament and he said he was always in good nick even before these three good knocks. “I was always focusing on my process. Even before these three knocks, I was playing well and timing the ball. I stayed positive and confident. I have lots of experience behind me. Every time I was scoring runs, but was making mistakes and getting out. So I analysed on what kind of shots I need to play on different pitches,” said Dhawan after the victory.

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Speaking about the final over, where they needed 17 runs for the victory, he said, “Sam Curran bowled well. We knew Bravo can’t bowl the final over and Jadeja had to bowl. We both being left-handers and the small boundaries, we took advantage of that.”

He also lauded all-rounder Axar Patel, who has been impressive with the ball as well. “He is a great asset to the side. Whenever we demand that he has to come and bowl, he delivers. He bowls economical and takes wickets. Even with the bat, the way he played the final over, he took the game away from CSK. Having a quality all-rounder makes a huge difference to the side and we are lucky to have him.”

However, he warned that they don’t want to overdo things. “It is a great feeling as we are playing as a team. Everyone is doing their job and it is a great sign for us. We all stay hungry and make sure that we focus on process. We want to stay fresh and don’t want to overdo anything,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, CSK coach Stephen Fleming rued the dropped chances of Dhawan that made the difference. “We gave Dhawan a few chances. We had opportunities to dismiss him early when he was playing aggressively. We should have got him early and put them under pressure. But the dropped catches cost us today,” he said after the match.

Speaking about Jadeja bowling the final over, he revealed, “Unfortunately Dwayne Bravo was injured so he could not bowl the final over. He is our death bowler. So we don’t have any option and had to go with Jadeja. Bravo suffered a groin injury and we need to assess and see how long it takes for him to recover” he added.

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