At the Mumbai Indians training session on Thursday,Shikhar Dhawan goes down on his knees and smashes a ball from Lasith Malinga past point. After hitting the near perfect shot,he doesnt get up but looks towards the adjoining nets,where Sachin Tendulkar is batting. It is only after his skipper has given a nod that Dhawan takes guard to face the next ball. For Dhawan,IPL III isnt just a platform to showcase his talent and get noticed by the national selectors but also an opportunity to take a peak into the mind of his opening partner. Watching the man with 20 years of international cricket under his belt,Dhawan has learnt how to start his innings and pace it gradually. Batting with Sachin bhai has changed my perception about batting. The experience eases as he always asks me to play my natural game. We all look up to him. The best thing is that I get to watch his feet movement,his bat speed and follow through and how he plays the ball so late, he says. After replacing an out-of-form Sanath Jayasuriya at the top of the order in the playing XI,Dhawan has played six games and scored 167 runs. My move from Delhi to Mumbai after the first IPL has been good. Unfortunately,I didnt get many games last year as I was injured. I love being in the Mumbai Indians dressing room, he says. As his side prepare for the game against Kings XI Punjab at the PCA Stadium on Friday,Dhawan is confident of a good showing. With Tendulkar fit again after a bout of dehydration in the last game against Chennai Super Kings,Dhawan believes his team will be able to record the one win required to take them to the semi-final.
