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'The passion's the same' - Dhawan confident of another successful ICC tournament

No one has scored as many runs in the last three ICC tournaments, and with a strong IPL behind him, Dhawan is ready to keep his intensity going

Shikhar Dhawan became the fastest to 1000 runs in ICC tournaments  •  AFP

Shikhar Dhawan became the fastest to 1000 runs in ICC tournaments  •  AFP

Over the last three ICC tournaments, no one has scored more runs than Shikhar Dhawan's 1113 in 18 innings. Two of those tournaments, the Champions Trophy 2013 and 2017, took place in the UK, where the upcoming World Cup will also be held. With the form and confidence from one of his best IPL seasons to date, the opening batsman is confident about repeating his success in the country.
"People tell me about my record in ICC events, but frankly speaking, the intent has always been the same. It's not that the effort is less than 100% ever," Dhawan told Press Trust of India. "The focus as always is on the process. I am confident that I will have another good ICC tournament."
Dhawan, also the quickest to 1000 runs ICC ODI tournament history, is part of arguably the most dominant ODI opening pair in recent years, with Rohit Sharma, a partnership of a stature similar to what he used to share with David Warner at Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. Ahead of the 2019 season, though, Dhawan was traded to Delhi Capitals where, as a senior player, he was expected to play more of a lead role than a complementary one. Like most challenges he's had in limited-overs cricket, Dhawan came through, finishing fourth on the run-scorers' list.
The presence of Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly in the Capitals' leadership as he navigated this new, more aggressive, role helped. "Both Ricky and Dada were successful international captains because they had the ability to create champions. Obviously their experience helps." Dhawan said. "They told me that there is no problem with my technique.
"Mera jazbaa aaj bhi utni hi hai [My passion is still the same as it was when I started]. I have shut out negativity, primarily because I am a happy-go-lucky person.
"Before I made my Test debut, I had played nearly nine years of first-class cricket. Had I not been passionate and hungry, I couldn't have performed for India after nine years of domestic cricket. Now I have played six years of international cricket. It has been a great journey."