Shikhar Dhawan feels rise of youngsters like Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant augurs well for Team India

Mount Maunganui, Jan 25: Senior India batsman Shikhar Dhawan believes the emergence of young players like Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill augurs well for the team and the team's bench strength ensures healthy competition amongst players.

Young Prithvi Shaw grabbed the opportunity in his debut Test and slammed a ton against West Indies. The 20-year-old was tipped as the first choice opener on Australia tour before sustaining an injury that ruled him out of the entire series.

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Talking about the success of Shaw in his debut series, Dhawan while addressing media persons on the eve of the second ODI against New Zealand said, "Take the case of Prithvi Shaw, the way he came into the Test team and scored a century and then 70 runs. Everyone has to be on their toes. Our team has been performing very well. Our bench strength is also very strong."

Pant has cemented his position in the side as a Test regular and was recently awarded the ICC Emerging Player of 2018 for his brilliant show on his debut series in England. Voices are growing louder for including the left-handed explosive batsman in the limited-overs' squad.

In the first ODI at Napier, Dhawan became the second fastest Indian cricketer to complete 5000 ODI runs and reached the personal milestone. When asked how does it feel to score reach the milestone, Dhawan said it's part of the journey.

"I am happy to achieve it and this milestone is just part of the journey. I will be looking forward to scoring more runs for my team and do well consistently. Once you get the experience, you take the things with ease and you know what to do and what not to do.

"I back my instinct and know my technique suits. It is a mental adjustment... once I am at the pitch I create a plan in that particular moment," the 33-year-old said who regained his form with a composed unbeaten 75-run knock in the first ODI. Dhawan notched up a half-century after a gap of nine ODIs.

His 91-run stand with captain Virat Kohli ensured India had no issues chasing the paltry target in the Napier one-dayer. Talking about his alliance with Kohli, the left-handed opener said since they have been playing with each other since childhood it becomes easier to communicate with each other.

"We (Virat Kohli and I) rotate the strike very well, that is one thing that keeps the pressure off. If one hits the boundary, it boosts the other. We have been playing together for quite some time hence it gets easier for us to communicate," he added further.

"We always plan that our top order scores more and stays longer at the pitch. But it also depends on the target, match to match, score to score and a little bit on the mood. If the target is 300 or plus, we cannot play slow. In the first 10 overs as an opener we have to put up scores quickly and create momentum," Dhawan said.

India and New Zealand will face each other on Saturday (January 26) in the second ODI at Bay Oval.