Been there done that: Shikhar Dhawan

Runs on last visit to South Africa with India A tour makes Shikhar Dhawan confident.

Shikhar Dhawan has had a dream run this year so far. Can he make it better on the lively track in South African while facing world-class pacers? If the opener is to be believed,he isn8217;t quite losing sleep over the challenge that lies ahead. I am looking forward to playing on bouncy tracks, he said. The good is thing is that when you are playing against the likes of Australia,you are facing quality fast bowlers like Mitchell Johnson and others. We know what awaits us there,but we are confident of doing well.

It is understandable where that confidence comes from. Having travelled to South Africa with the India A team in August this year,Dhawan knows what to expect.

In his only innings in the two unofficial Tests against the hosts,the left-hander managed to score just 11. But he more than made up in the one-dayers,scoring 410 runs in four matches. Crucially,in the final round-robin fixture against the South Africa 8216;A8217;,Dhawan scored 248 runs in 150 balls,which is the highest individual score for an 8216;A8217; side. I went to South Africa before and performed well. So,you have the advantage of having played on these pitches and the confidence is there because of the good performances, he said. The pitches there will be good. It will be helpful for the bowlers and batsmen will also enjoy playing on the bouncy tracks. Our preparation will be according to the pitch.

Preparation,though,is a concern. After embarrassing defeats in England and Australia,MS Dhoni amp; Co will be hoping to shed the tag of poor travelers to countries that have pitches that favour pacers. Dhawan,though,quelled such fears.

The Indian team will depart for Johannesburg on Sunday night before playing the first ODI on December 5. And the 27-year-old insisted that lack of practice matches ahead of the South Africa Tests will not be a deterrent. We have been playing so much cricket that we don8217;t get much time for preparation also. Like now,we have got just three days off. I guess the boys need that rest and get out the cricket mode for these 2-3 days at least. Before playing the first match there we will have a few days of preparation on those pitches to get used to it. So not playing practice match shouldn8217;t be a problem, he said.

Opening solution

How well the in-form Indian batting line-up performs in South Africa will depend a lot on the openers. Dhawan,along with Rohit Sharma,has provided a solution to India8217;s opening problems in the ODIs of late. Since the beginning of Champions Trophy in June,Dhawan and Sharma have been involved in six century partnerships.

Rohit has been doing great this season. He got a double century in ODIs which is a big thing. He scored four centuries,including two in Tests. We all are very good friends and enjoy each other8217;s success,that is the beauty of Team India, he said. I feel happy that he is doing well,I am doing well. Virat has been doing consistently for the last few seasons. I am really happy that the top order is firing and giving a good base for our batting.