Shikhar Dhawan might lose his place unless he returns to form in India's next game.
Shikhar
Dhawan is at the crossroads. Reports of a confrontation with India's
new Test captain Virat Kohli, his removal from the fourth Test against
Australia after managing just 167 runs in the three games he played
previously, and now scores of 2 and 1 in the Cartlon Mid triangular
series corroborate that.
If Dhawan's touch does not improve significantly in the next couple of matches, there is a good chance that Ajinkya Rahane would be back in the opening role in the World Cup, starting in Australia and New Zealand next month. Having batted at No. 3 in Melbourne, Rahane opened in Brisbane when Rohit Sharma was ruled out on account of a hamstring problem.
Let's consider this scenario: If Dhawan is dropped from the XI and Rahane, who scored two centuries in the recent past as opener, is brought back to start with Rohit, India would be forced to play Ambati Rayudu who doesn't have much experience in overseas conditions.
Alternatively, India may play three of the four available all-round or bits-and-pieces options in Stuart Binny, R Ashwin, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja but such a last-minute change of composition is the last thing the team would want.
So, it is imperative that Dhawan finds his touch sooner than later. What then is wrong with Dhawan? On the most recent tours of South Africa (12 runs in three matches), New Zealand (81 in four) and England (155 in four), he fell prey to mostly short-pitched bowling but, in Australia, he has been felled by deliveries outside his offstump. Considering that a majority of his international runs have come through drives on the offside, his susceptibility to deliveries that once were staple for him is alarming.
Revisit his dismissals in the last two ODIs. At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, aiming for a drive on his mind, he edged Mitchell Starc to second slip. At the Gabba on Tuesday, a defensive prod off James Anderson had him caught behind. In the preceding Test series, he had faced the similar problems.
Former India allrounder Aashish Kapoor has an interesting observation. "It's mostly a confidence thing with him," Kapoor told Cricbuzz on Wednesday. "He scored 80-plus in Brisbane but was dropped after the Melbourne Test. If you want to give him confidence, you would have to keep playing him.
"The delivery he got from Anderson was just too good but had he been in a more confident frame of mind, he would have taken a better stride to deal with the ball. Some of his recent dismissals by in-coming deliveries have made him tentative. That happens when you are not confident," Kapoor said.
At the media conference following the defeat in Brisbane on Tuesday, India captain MS Dhoni also tried to get to the bottom of the matter. "It is difficult for me to think about how much pressure he [Dhawan] will be under but whenever we step out of the subcontinent, the guys want to score. Because of that they put in a lot more effort," Dhoni said.
"When you put in a lot more effort, it actually drains you out. You need a bit of time off and actually, at times, when you have a string of games when you are not scoring, it is best to just go out and express yourself. That's something that Adam Gilchrist used to do very well. When he was slightly out of form he used to play his shots, but when he was out of form he used to play his shots right from the very first ball. Often, that helps. You play two good shots and all of a sudden you're in form. That's something that could work for Shikhar."
By all accounts, the Indian team is keen to provide opportunities to the left-handed opener to court success. The side's next match against Australia in Sydney on Monday could well be a make-or-break outing for Dhawan.
If Dhawan's touch does not improve significantly in the next couple of matches, there is a good chance that Ajinkya Rahane would be back in the opening role in the World Cup, starting in Australia and New Zealand next month. Having batted at No. 3 in Melbourne, Rahane opened in Brisbane when Rohit Sharma was ruled out on account of a hamstring problem.
Let's consider this scenario: If Dhawan is dropped from the XI and Rahane, who scored two centuries in the recent past as opener, is brought back to start with Rohit, India would be forced to play Ambati Rayudu who doesn't have much experience in overseas conditions.
Alternatively, India may play three of the four available all-round or bits-and-pieces options in Stuart Binny, R Ashwin, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja but such a last-minute change of composition is the last thing the team would want.
So, it is imperative that Dhawan finds his touch sooner than later. What then is wrong with Dhawan? On the most recent tours of South Africa (12 runs in three matches), New Zealand (81 in four) and England (155 in four), he fell prey to mostly short-pitched bowling but, in Australia, he has been felled by deliveries outside his offstump. Considering that a majority of his international runs have come through drives on the offside, his susceptibility to deliveries that once were staple for him is alarming.
Revisit his dismissals in the last two ODIs. At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, aiming for a drive on his mind, he edged Mitchell Starc to second slip. At the Gabba on Tuesday, a defensive prod off James Anderson had him caught behind. In the preceding Test series, he had faced the similar problems.
Former India allrounder Aashish Kapoor has an interesting observation. "It's mostly a confidence thing with him," Kapoor told Cricbuzz on Wednesday. "He scored 80-plus in Brisbane but was dropped after the Melbourne Test. If you want to give him confidence, you would have to keep playing him.
"The delivery he got from Anderson was just too good but had he been in a more confident frame of mind, he would have taken a better stride to deal with the ball. Some of his recent dismissals by in-coming deliveries have made him tentative. That happens when you are not confident," Kapoor said.
At the media conference following the defeat in Brisbane on Tuesday, India captain MS Dhoni also tried to get to the bottom of the matter. "It is difficult for me to think about how much pressure he [Dhawan] will be under but whenever we step out of the subcontinent, the guys want to score. Because of that they put in a lot more effort," Dhoni said.
"When you put in a lot more effort, it actually drains you out. You need a bit of time off and actually, at times, when you have a string of games when you are not scoring, it is best to just go out and express yourself. That's something that Adam Gilchrist used to do very well. When he was slightly out of form he used to play his shots, but when he was out of form he used to play his shots right from the very first ball. Often, that helps. You play two good shots and all of a sudden you're in form. That's something that could work for Shikhar."
By all accounts, the Indian team is keen to provide opportunities to the left-handed opener to court success. The side's next match against Australia in Sydney on Monday could well be a make-or-break outing for Dhawan.
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