With a sparkling half-century, before handing over the baton to Eoin Morgan, Shikhar Dhawan set up the match for Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Cricket Club of India ground in Mumbai against the Rajasthan Royals. Known for his big hitting, the left-hand batsman is also adept at taking the back seat and building the innings for his team.

While speaking to iplt20.com after the high-scoring match, Dhawan said that patience is key while batting, as it is with different aspects in life. In the interview after the must-win match which keeps SRH in the reckoning for a spot in the Playoffs, the SRH opener talked about playing the supporting role while batting with David Warner and the orange clad team’s batting line-up.

Excerpts:

You helped set the tone of the game. What were your plans when you walked out to bat in this must-win match?

It was just about sticking to our basic plan. We – David and I - have been consistently giving good starts for our team. Again today we played well and put up a 48-run opening stand and then David got out. I thought I would stay on the wicket for a long time and at the same time I was rotating the strike very well and hitting boundaries when I needed to. So that was my plan - to stay on the wicket as well as keep scoring at a good run rate.

Given that this was a must-win game, how satisfied are you with your knock?

I won’t say I rate it really really high. I could have scored big runs (stayed longer) as I was set when I got out. Still, I am happy that it came in a must-win game. I didn’t put too much pressure on myself that it’s a must win game. I just kept myself blank, trusted my skills and whatever work I had done in the nets I executed in the match.

How important is patience?

Patience is very important. You have to be very patient in anything in life, not just cricket. With experience you learn to pick and choose the bowlers, when to hit and when not to. Your mind starts working like that and you have more clarity. I am now more clear about my plans in the middle. Plans of course keep changing according to the situation of the game and in that patience plays a big role because you cannot just play aggressively from ball one. You need to have (that feel) of when to attack and when not to.

How has it been opening with David Warner?

It’s been great opening with Davy. It has been comfortable. We both are really good in running between the wickets. Our combination suits both of us and suits our team. When he is playing aggressively I play the supporting role and when I play aggressively he plays the supporting role. I have hardly seen him playing the supporting role (laughs) and that’s really good about him that he is always aggressive. It is good to have two aggressive players batting together - that puts immense pressure on the opposition.

The SRH middle-order has also started clicking. What has worked now?

I think slowly the boys are getting into the rhythm. There are still a few games left although it should have happened a little earlier. Today’s wicket suited the kind of batsmen we have in the side and they did their job. We could post a good total on the board. The match still went to into the last over as the wicket was still good (to bat on). It was a true wicket. The wicket in Kolkata in the previous match turned a bit, so it became a bit difficult while chasing. But now we will be playing on wickets like these in the IPL. The next match is against the Delhi Daredevils in Raipur where the wicket is a bit seaming and bouncy which suits our batsmen well. Also in Hyderabad the wicket is good.

At the same time our bowlers have been bowling well towards the end which is our strength. They have been doing that consistently. And now another good thing is that our middle-order is scoring more consistently as well.

You played without Dale Steyn and Trent Boult. How was that decision arrived at?

We played what was the best combination for today’s game and it was important. Ravi Bopara bowled well. He picked the right wickets at the right time and bowled economically, so that makes a difference. You do miss the presence of bowlers like Steyn and Boult on the field of course but sometimes there are situations where you have to do what needs to be done. We had to strengthen our batting as it hadn’t done so well in the last game; we can rely on our bowling (unit) because they have been doing well. So we did this.

Getting a win in an away game and that too beating RR, how much confidence does that give the team?

This win definitely gives a lot of confidence because RR is the best side of the tournament this season and have been playing consistent cricket. We will go into the next game with more confidence and the pressure will probably be more on the other team.

How has it been playing under Warner’s captaincy?

Davy’s captaincy is really good. I enjoy playing under him and he is fulfilling the captain’s role really well. His moves (on the field are good) and he motivates the team when needed - when boys are a little down - he does that well and it helps.

Teams are relying a lot on openers in the tournament. What’s your take on that trend?

When openers make runs it does give the team a good foundation. But there will be times when openers don’t score as much and then the middle-order’s role becomes important. Today Davy didn’t score many runs but the good part is that we still posted a good total. It’s a good sign for the team and our middle-order will gain confidence from it.