Shikhar Dhawan zooms past Joe Root, Matthew Hayden and Kane Williamson with 79 in first SA ODI

India opener Shikhar Dhawan on Wednesday (January 19) rued the middle-order collapse after the team’s loss to South Africa in the first ODI. During his 79-run knock, Dhawan went past Matthew Hayden, Joe Root and Kane Williamson in the list of highest run-getters in the format and has now scored 6,184 runs at 45.80. Hayden scored 6,133 runs in 161 ODIs while Williamson has 6,173 runs. Root, a member of England’s 2019 World Cup-winning side, has 6,109 runs in 152 ODIs.

The Indian opener presently sits at the 58th spot in the overall list and needs exactly 500 more ODI runs to break into the top 50. The elite list is topped by Sachin Tendulkar, who piled up 18,426 runs in 462 ODIs.

“We had a good start and I feel the wicket was slow, it was offering a bit of turn as well. So, when you are chasing (around) 300 runs, when the middle-order comes to bat, it is not easy to play shots. Our wickets fell in a heap and that had an impact on us as a batting unit,” Dhawan said at the virtual post-match press conference after Team India suffered a 31-run loss.

“Of course, from our team we did not have a century and we did not have a big partnership,” added the elegant left-handed batter, who top-scored with a brisk 79.

India’s inexplicable middle-order collapse ensured that fine half-centuries from Dhawan and Virat Kohli did not count for much. Dhawan also praised the South African duo of Temba Bavuma (110 off 143) and Rassie van der Dussen (129 not out off 96).

A fine 50-run partnership comes up between @SDhawan25 & @imVkohli.

Live – https://t.co/PJ4gV8SFQb #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/EX9ojwTbbq

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 19, 2022

Asked what was the turning point of the game, he said, “I feel both the South African batsmen (batters) batted quite well and they took the innings quite deep.”

According to the south-paw, he was ‘happy’ that he did well in the game. “Yes, the plan was to play on merit in the beginning and it was a sort of wicket that we get back home. I was carrying forward my flow, but when the wickets fell, it was in my mind to stitch a big partnership. It wasn’t easy for the new batsmen to make runs, the plan of the set batsmen was to take it deep, but unfortunately I got out, didn’t expect the turn, but yes that happens,” Dhawan, one of the senior players, added.

Asked how he puts all the negativity behind after setbacks, Dhawan quipped, “I don’t listen to the media or don’t read newspapers or watch news, that way I don’t take all that information. I have full confidence in myself that what my game is and I stay quite calm. Ups and downs are part of life.”

(with PTI inputs)