RANJI: IN ‘ENGLISH CONDITIONS’, DHAWAN ‘TWEAKS HIS GAME’

Battle-hardened Shikhar Dhawan was all guts and grit while negotiating tough "English conditions" as he boosted Delhi's morale with a well-controlled 137 against Hyderabad in their Ranji Trophy group A match on Wednesday.

A spicy Feroz Shah Kotla track to deal with on a chilly Delhi winter morning was a stiff challenge and Dhawan responded with an unbeaten century that took his side to a safe 269 for six on a curtailed opening day.

Dhawan's knock would do a world of good to the confidence of a side, which was spiralling southwards, as he hit 19 fours and two sixes in his 198-ball innings. "It was more like English conditions. It's satisfying to score runs in these conditions. With experience you get idea of what shots to play on what kind of track. The shots that I would have played when I was a 21 or 22 years old, I didn't play here. I didn't drive any of those deliveries," Dhawan, playing his first first-class game in 15 months, told reporters.

Dhawan's body language never gives away what's on his mind and he says his uncluttered mind is the secret of his success. "I had nothing on my mind. Jo cheez aani hai woh aa jati hain (I react to situations). I am a very relaxed person and I don't make my mind heavy with extra thoughts. The way you guys think, I don't think like that," he laughed.

"Today, I played what we call 'Box cricket' which means playing close to your body. I didn't play most of the deliveries outside the off-stump. Some of our young guys, fiddled with those deliveries. Now this comes with experience. You have a look at the wicket and you know what shots you will play," said the left-hander, who scored his 30th first-class hundred.

Brief Scores: Delhi 269/6 in 66 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 137 not out, Anuj Rawat 29, Kunwar Bidhuri 22 not out) vs Hyderabad. —PTI