Inside IPL’s bio-bubble, Dhawan looks inwards
NEW DELHI: In his long career with Delhi, India and in the Indian Premier League (IPL), two things have been constant for Shikhar Dhawan—aggression as a batsman and a calmness that borders on the monkish away from the playing field.
No wonder then that when we suggest the IPL bio-bubble, where players will spend more than two months cut off from the rest of the world is akin to a retreat, Dhawan smiles and agrees. “Nice to test our mental strength,” he says, speaking via a Zoom call from his hotel room in the UAE. Then, ominously, he adds: “It’s almost like Big Boss.”
The IPL, which begins September 19 in the UAE, will see players holed up for roughly 80 days, their worlds circumscribed by their hotel, training ground, and match venue, where they will play to empty stadiums. That’s a lot to contend with.
“It (the bio-bubble) is a new thing for everyone,” he says. “More than challenging, I see it as an opportunity to improve in every aspect. I keep myself entertained; I take it in a positive way.” Success at this season’s tournament, Dhawan says, could depend on how players navigate this new reality. “It totally depends on how a person talks to himself; you can be your best friend or you can be a victim,” Dhawan says. “You can have 10 people who are positive around you, but if you are not your friend, no one can help.
“We don’t have any outlet. I enjoy going to a restaurant, seeing people. So, how are people going to take it? This IPL it’s going to matter a lot. If people are not performing, how do they take it? They have to stay with the same people, in the hotel, in the same space. I am sure it’s going to have a huge impact on everyone.” Dhawan himself is well-equipped to handle this mental challenge; during the months of lockdown, he delved into meditation and yoga, practices that he says has helped him both physically and mentally.
“My stamina, focus, and mobility has got better,” he says, “I used to have a stiff body, my mobility has really gone up. Also skills keep changing. Little things that you won’t notice, like my stance has changed a little. Some of it is detailed stuff that of course I won’t like to tell.”
All of those things will be put to the test when the 34-year-old opener plays his first competitive game since January, when
Delhi Capitals face Kings XI Punjab on Sunday.
In this new and unusual setting, the challenge for DC remains the same—an IPL win has remained elusive in 12 seasons, and no team has finished last as many times as DC have. Yet, last season, a homecoming for Dhawan after the batsman spent four successful years at SRH (he won the league in 2016), DC reached the play-offs. Dhawan scored 521, the fourth highest of the season. “More than skill, it’s going to be mentally challenging, coming after five months and playing in such a big event. It will take a lot of courage, skill and everything for a team to start doing well. Can there be a new winner? Why not? Someone was saying how every leap year there is a new winner. Hopefully, we will see DC lifting the trophy.”
Dhawan and his new Delhi teammate R Ashwin have won IPL with SRH and CSK respectively and the two will look to shepherd the younger talent in the side. “Prithvi (Shaw) is in good touch, he is a class player. And Rishabh, Shreyas and Prithvi all are maturing as well. And we have Ajinkya Rahane, Ashwin coming in… I feel we’ve got a complete side. Especially at the start, the pitches are going to be nice, I am assuming. Playing only on three venues, we will get turning pitches as well. We got enough batsmen who play the turning ball well. We have Marcus Stoinis and Alex Carey, Shimron Hetmyer and Keemo Paul, and Lalit Yadav is a good bat and bowls off-spin.”
The talking point are the low and slow pitches that are likely to be on offer at the three UAE venues and how teams will cope in those conditions. The practice pitches though have been bouncy “like we were in Perth”, says Dhawan. “After some time the pitches can get slow and low, but we have all bases covered. Aap order karo, wohi aap ke samne pesh karte hain! (you order and we will deliver).”
For Dhawan, the priority is straightforward--give his team an explosive start.
“In IPL, we have to give a fiery start,” he says. “And then the person who is set takes the game further. I would love to be an impact player, create momentum for my team. For 5-6 overs mostly I am the aggressor for India too; Rohit (Sharma) takes his time and then plays. I am talking about ODIs here.”
“Sometimes it depends on what the team role is, if the team wants 50 runs from 6 overs... everyday it’s not the same thing, but mostly you have to fire from both ends and that’s the best thing. And at the same time be smart enough not to lose too many wickets.”
Despite the breakneck pace and big-hitting nature of the game, T20s, like any other format of cricket, requires a certain kind of patience, says Dhawan.
“When you’re desperate, you are running after it, it’s difficult to do well,” he says. “It happened with me. I was playing against New Zealand (2016), I knew if I didn’t play well, I would be out. I was working hard but was desperate and eventually I was dropped. I realized desperate energy is not nice. When you are relaxed, you are happier. For me happiness and calmness are what matters.
“If you are desperate, you will not have clarity and will be rushing for solutions. Under pressure, great players know how to play. Dhoni bhai used to take the game till the last over, not many can do that. He was never desperate, or rushing it. That is why he could pull the game away from the other team.”
What is Dhawan’s own advice to teammates? “I always tell them to keep the process right. We repeat success mantra often, once we keep doing that, everything will keep coming to us.”