 "Dhawan reveals inspiration on sidelines of World Cup campaign video launch")
International Cricket Council (ICC) launched its 2023 official Men’s World Cup campaign video titled 'It Takes One Day'. The video, which features background narration by Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, explains the importance of One Day cricket and the World Cup. It was on the sidelines of this video launch that India opener Shikhar Dhawan revealed how he draws inspiration from young cricketers to learn new things.
Speaking at the event Dhawan said, "I was asking SKY (Suryakumar Yadav), he hits that six and I asked him ‘What do you do, man?’. So he was like, ‘I just bend and I do this’. I said I am going to try that in the nets as well because the more tools you can carry, it gets easier and it’s a wonderful mindset."
WATCH: ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 campaign video
WATCH: ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 campaign video
Dhawan, one of the most successful Indian batters in the fifty-over ICC events, with 1238 runs in 20 games across two ODI World Cups (2015 and 2019) and two Champions Trophies (2013 and 2017), also explained that the thought process of young players has changed immensely from the time when he started to now.
"Earlier our coaches used to tell us to play down the ground, you don’t have to play big shots. So, we were raised with that sort of mindset but now when you see a youngster coming in, they will just go and express themselves. So, again, the main point is when I see the younger generation, they express themselves fearlessly,” said Dhawan.
Even after his stellar numbers in ICC events, Dhawan is not in the scheme of things of India as far as the World Cup is concerned. The Southpaw last played an ODI for India on the team’s Bangladesh tour in December 2022. He has not been selected for the West Indies tour. However, the left-handed swashbuckler cherished being part of two World Cups and remembered them fondly in Mumbai.
“It’s a very special feeling when you play in a World Cup. When the first time my name got into the World Cup team I was like ‘alright’ and you say to yourself that ‘History mein naam aagaya hai ki World Cup bhi khele hain’ (It gets mentioned in history that they have also participated in the World Cup). So it is that big [a deal] as a cricketer, and it’s a great feeling. And lots of pressure as well," added the 37-year-old.
The Men’s ODI World Cup will begin on October 05, 2023, with defending champions England taking on last edition’s finalists New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Hosts India will play their first match against Australia at the MA Chidambaram, Chennai on October 08, 2023.