No shame in admitting my failure in England: Dhawan

CANDID Opener says he could not play to potential in the Test series and Asia Cup may or may not redeem him

I did not do well but I gave it all. Others played better than me. I accept it. Sometimes they (plans) work sometimes they don’t.

SHIKHAR DHAWAN, India opener

India opener Shikhar Dhawan has said there was “no shame” in his disastrous run of form in the Tests against England as his plans did not work out despite giving his all. Dhawan, whose place in the Test team is under threat for the home series against the West Indies, seemed unfazed about a possible axe.

The batsman, who has made a Test comeback in the past on the basis of his stellar showing in white-ball cricket, is back amongst the runs in the ongoing Asia Cup.

“I think it always helps when you perform well (irrespective of the form). Agar fayda hona hoga to ho jayega, nahi hona hoga to nai hoga (we will see if my current form helps me in Tests). Whenever I play, red ball or white ball, I utilise whatever knowledge I have of the game,” said Dhawan.

“If you talk about the England Test, I did not do well but I gave it all. Others played better than me. I accept it. There is no shame in it. Then I came here (Dubai) to play white ball cricket, had different plans because of different conditions. Sometimes they (plans) work sometimes they don’t,” the stylish left-hander said in his defence.

Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have provided India solid starts and that is one of the reasons why the side had done so well in the Asia Cup.

Asked whether there was extra pressure on the two senior batsmen in the absence of skipper Virat Kohli, the southpaw said: “It was not like that we felt that we had more responsibility in Virat’s absence. It was a tournament where the management could give opportunity to the upcoming players, find out who all are equipped to bat in the middle order.

“That is why we took rest also (against Afghanistan) so that guys who have not spent time in the middle get to do that. Virat around or not, Rohit and I approach every match the same way, with the same effort. There is obviously a lot of difference between England weather and the weather here but we train well to deal with that.”

On the India-Bangladesh rivalry getting bigger with time, especially after the 2015 series when the latter won at home, Dhawan added: “Well, there was rivalry before that also. There will always be rivalry on the field. Off the field, we are friends but on it we have to do our job.”

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