Good to see Ashwin dependable with the bat: Dhawan

Ahead of Delhi’s match against Vidarbha, Dhawan said he felt good to be back for the domestic season. “I am playing Ranji after a long time. It feels nice to be back with Delhi boys,” he said. 

While a finger injury in Kolkata during the match against New Zealand forced him out of the side, Dhawan finds himself battling with the likes of Murali Vijay and K L Rahul for a slot to get back into the Indian team. “Undoubtedly, the competition is tough. It is good for Indian cricket that we have many openers. It is a healthy sign and it is also an indication to keep performing well to retain your place,” the 30-year-old said. 

Dhawan said he utilised the rehab time to analyse his batting and performances. “It is good to get this break. I am feeling fresh. I have always analysed where I am not scoring or what I had missed to implement. I have found answers and I am working on my game hard,” he said. 

Dhawan heaved praises on Tamil Nadu players Ravichandran Ashwin and Murali Vijay and termed them as good friends in the side. “Ashwin has been working hard on his batting and is batting well. It is nice to see us get more all-rounders like him. It is heartening to see the team depending on his batting too and it gives us an advantage in the lower order. He looks fluent, times the ball well and is consistent too,” he said on Ashwin. 

“Vijay is good human being and friend. He is performing consistently too and I am happy for him. We discuss a lot on strategies and plans apart from sharing a good laugh,” Dhawan added. 

The Delhi batsman felt Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli is doing a good job in man-management. “I feel as a captain he is doing a good job as he backs his players to the hilt. It is very important to back players as they feel confident and with that the payers can also come out good and perform,” Dhawan added.

Is he expecting a call from the national selectors soon? “Well, I haven’t heard anything from them (selectors) yet. However, Anil bhai and the physio keep a tab on my progress regularly,” Dhawan added.