Shikhar Dhawan: India Have a Great Chance…

It is a great feeling to have the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy back.

I remember when I played in it for the first time in 2013, and I loved it, and there is already a buzz around this tournament.

There is so much speculation and a lot of predictions, which is fun, and I can’t look past India.

I am quite confident about them, they have a solid team and played very well against England in their recent ODI series.

My concern is they are going to miss Jasprit Bumrah, there is no doubt he will be a big absence and I think they will feel it very strongly.

For me, he is the best bowler in the world, and his accuracy is hard to replicate. He is also a very calm character and that is crucial in a huge ICC event like this.

At the same time, Harshit Rana has come into the side and I think that is really exciting – keep an eye on him, I think he could have a breakout tournament.

I like his attitude, he is a go-getter and he is not afraid of anything. He accepts challenges and we have seen in the England series that he is in form. I am sure he will look to seize this opportunity and, if he does, he could provide a real x-factor for India.

There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic for India. They have a very balanced side, especially with the bat – there is a nice blend of experience and youth. Shubman Gill, in particular, is so consistent and he has a big role to play. I think he will have a great tournament.

Rohit Sharma has found form, Virat Kohli is there; they are a top side and will take some stopping.

India did very well in the last Champions Trophy, but sadly ended up on the losing side in the final. But we played amazing cricket. There will be some amazing memories of that with the squad they know what they can do.

I really like South Africa in this tournament as well. They have played consistent cricket and have everything you need to win such a huge tournament – experience, strength-in-depth and x-factor players like Kagiso Rabada.

I also like Pakistan, they will be hard to beat in home conditions, and also New Zealand – who are just always there or there abouts.

Australia have struggled in their series with Sri Lanka but they some great batters; Travis Head is in great form, and I’m really excited to see Steve Smith.

He’s come back into form in Test cricket and is reminding everyone of how brilliant he is. I played with Virat for a long time, and during this great period of amazing batters – Steve, Virat, Joe Root and Kane Williamson.

To see them all still going so strong is inspiring, and I hope they have big tournaments. I observed each of them, learnt from them and loved their style. They all have this hunger to keep performing and I think they have pushed each other – they are very special.

The ICC Champions Trophy means a great deal to me. We won in 2013 and then reached the final in 2017, and both times I finished as leading run-scorer.

Winning in 2013 was a great achievement, one of the biggest of my career. I scored a century in the first game against South Africa and it was a huge relief because it was my comeback match in ODI cricket.

I was doing well in the Test team and it helped me back into the ODI side. I was nervous and excited but also really confident.

South Africa had a great pace attack – Morne Morkel was moving it around a lot – but I settled in and scored the century.

I can still feel what it was like to open my arms after I scored that century. It was like I was telling the world that I had arrived – and it was one of the most important moments in my career. Scoring big runs at the start of a tournament gives a player so much confidence that carries through. I just kept on scoring runs after that.

My self-belief went up and I knew I belonged on that stage. Even though we had Rohit or Virat Kohli, I used to tell myself I was the best batter in the world. I needed that self-belief, and then when I started to score runs and break records, it became almost a reality in that tournament. It was a great feeling, and my life changed. People started to recognise me in the street, people were talking about me, and even my moustache became famous! A lot of people grew a Shikhar Dhawan moustache and it was a real trend – crazy! They are all beautiful memories.

We played England in the final and we were up against it, they were chasing down the target with Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara going well.

I still remember my hands were getting sweaty from the pressure – but then Ishant Sharma came on and took two wickets, and the whole game shifted towards us. Good teams do that, they keep their emotions in check, their body language stable and find a way to win. It’s what teams will need to do in Pakistan.