You had to be at the MCG to experience a Shikhar Dhawan master-class on display. Close to 87,000 thousand people thronged the stadium with a several hundred watching outside on the big screen, with the majority clad in blue. Each time a run was scored, up went the cheer and every time an Indian batsman walked back to the pavilion, silence followed. But not when a certain Shikhar Dhawan walked back after scoring 137, laden with 16 boundaries and two sixes. The MCG was at its feet twice during Dhawan’s innings. Once when he took off his helmet to give the biggest grin of the afternoon and next when he walked back a content man acknowledging the applause of the G. It was a knock that had confidence written all over it and a stamp of authority. It marked his arrival after a lean patch in the Test series and ODI tri-series. The fluent cover drives, the crisp cuts, the punishing pulls and the nonchalance of a flick for a six – Dhawan treated the MCG with all that he had in his book of batting. For a man who was questioned of his batting abilities after a dry run in the Tests and ODI tri-series, this ton came as a relief. The satisfaction of a ton, the euphoria of playing a World Cup fixture at the G and beating South Africa for the first time in World Cups, Dhawan says it all in a bcci.tv exclusive. How does it feel to get a maiden century in your first World Cup? It is a fantastic feeling to get a 100 in your first World Cup. But more than anything it gives me immense happiness that we beat South Africa for the first time in the World Cup. They are one of the best teams in the world and it gives you great satisfaction to beat the big sides in the competition. To score against big teams makes the feeling even better. How do you weigh these runs under your belt, especially after going through a dry patch? It feels great to be back in form. I have been waiting for this moment for the past three months. I would like to thank almighty and the support staff, the captain and my teammates, who have backed me during those times and believed in my abilities. All I can say is I am enjoying my batting at the moment. What did you do in those three months that has got you back amongst the runs now? I tried my best to stay calm during that phase. I never got afraid or troubled when runs were not coming off my bat. I always had the belief that the tough days will be followed by the good ones. It was important for me to stay mentally calm and stable at that time. I feel the calmness in my temperament has reflected in my batting and helped me get the results. I never felt I was not batting well during that phase. I was getting out in the 20s and 30s. Now, I am converting those starts into big knocks. I am glad that I am doing so at a big stage like the World Cup. What was the key to batting on this wicket, especially against a strong pace attack like South Africa? We all know that South Africa has an experienced and solid pace attack. We didn’t want to give them a wicket early on in the innings and we knew we could always accelerate later on in the innings if we didn’t get the runs in the initial stages of the game. Being patient was important and we kept building partnerships regularly. Virat Kohli and I shared a century stand and I have to say Virat played beautifully. Once he got out, my aim again was to build a partnership with Ajinkya Rahane. There were phases when the game did go slow, but it was important for us to play that phase out with a lot of patience. Once Ajinkya got set he began to accelerate and got the tempo of the game up. It was an incredible innings by Ajinkya. We had an aim to build partnerships at every stage of the innings and we achieved that. Did you, at anytime during your stay at the wicket, find it difficult to bat? The wicket was just a bit two-paced. There were some bouncers that bounced to a good height while some of them were stopping before coming on to the bat. My aim was to play to the merit of the ball and play to my strengths. There were times when I got beaten and had a few close shaves but all I tried to do was to relax myself at those times and focus on the next delivery. A century at Cardiff in the ICC Champions Trophy against South Africa and a century now in a World Cup against the same opponents. Which one would you rate higher? I would rate this century a notch higher than the one I got at Cardiff. Today I played with a lot of common sense. I put a lot of thought into my batting and I feel I have matured a lot since that knock. I feel I have a better understanding of the game now and I have learnt with time. I am sure my game will only get better from here. What do you make of the atmosphere at the MCG? It is an outstanding feeling to see so many Indian supporters here. I am glad that so many supporters turned up today to support us. We have received tremendous support wherever we have played and I believe we are what we are because of the fans. I would like to thank all of them for their support.