Shikhar Dhawan excited to play in day-night Test

India might play a day-night Test against New Zealand later this year 

Shikhar Dhawan. (BCCI)

 

 

Hyderabad: Indian batsman Shikhar Dhawan cannot wait to play in a day-night Test match as he feels the planned innovation will be good for cricket.

India might play a day-night Test against New Zealand later this year during the gruelling home season, which will feature 13 Test matches.

"We are excited for sure. I always believe change is always good. If things go well, it's a new thing for batsmen, for the bowlers also. It's going to be good to try our hands on the coming thing," he said in a media interaction here.

Dhawan and his Sunrisers Hyderabad teammate, pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, said T20 has brought in major changes in cricket as the players are expected to be more quick and agile in the shortest format.

"It's always a challenge. Test cricket is also a challenge. Every format has its own challenges. In Test cricket, you have to bowl. In T20, you have to mix things. But T20 makes bowlers smarter. They know how to change the things very quickly and how to change according to the batsman," Kumar said.

"If you look at the first year of IPL, there were only limited things, bouncers, Yorkers, slower. But now, in the last couple of years, if you see, many kind of slower balls, slower bouncers, these things make boys smart," he said.

Dhawan chipped in saying that the shots, played in T20, are now making their way into Test cricket as well.

"Even for batsmen, because of T20, we are bringing the (IPL) shots into Test cricket. So, the revolution that has come in cricket, it has come after T20. Basically, we had to apply our minds," he said.

Replying to a query, Bhuvneshwar Kumar said he has different approaches for his first spell (in T20 matches) and death bowling.

"Different way to approach first spell and death: There is a different way. ..I always try to swing the ball in the first six," Kumar said.

Replying to a query, Dhawan said he is not interested in acting  and that he would like Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar to play the role of Shikhar Dhawan if a biopic is made on his life.