Shikhar Dhawanannounced himself on the scene with a sensational Test hundred on debut against Australia last year, but he definitely has some work to do before he can block his place as one of the openers for the World Cup. Over the last couple of Test series' Murali Vijay has improved his game significantly, and has gone on to become the more reliable of the two openers in Tests. Dhawan, on the other hand, has stumbled on his way and has only somehow managed to save his place in the team across all formats. With the World Cup approaching, a big challenge lies ahead for Dhawan.
The left-hander may have retained his place for the current one-day series against West Indies at home, but it is important that he doesn't take his place in the team for granted, which seems to have been the case in recent times. Dhawan's consistency, irrespective of the format and conditions, has been questionable. He got a half-century in the opening one-dayer of the current series, but this was preceded by a lull period during which he managed only one fifty in England in all three formats combined -- completely unacceptable returns. His dismissal in the second one-dayer against West Indies, when he was comprehensively bowled, was again highly disappointing.
Just like it is the case with Pakistan and Misbah-Ul-Haq, India also should be extremely worried about the wretched form of Dhawan. If the southpaw is not among the runs in the ODI matches leading up to the World Cup in Australia and England, India would be in a massive quandary. It already seems too late for India to even think of a replacement. However, just in case his poor form begs for a change at the top, what should India do? Virender Sehwag or Gautam Gambhir haven't done anything to merit a comeback. Opening with Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane could be the other option, but that would upset the team balance.
Dhawan's continued poor form should not be the only cause of concern for India. His struggles away from home are well-documented by now. He had a tough time spending a decent amount of time at the crease during the challenging South African series. His career almost hit a roadblock in New Zealand before he resurrected his career with his second Test century. However, his technique and temperament were again exposed in England, so much so that he had to be dropped after the first three Tests. Even in the one-dayers, he kept getting out after getting starts, bar one innings where he remained unbeaten in the 90s.
In all probability, Dhawan will take the flight to Australia for the World Cup. The mega event will be a massive challenge for Dhawan, more so since he hasn't played international cricket over there. Dhawan has tasted success with the A team Down Under, but that was a different cup of tea. The World Cup will be a totally different proposition for the left-hander. What should caution the Indian management is the fact that Dhawan has failed on the two other big away tours -- in South Africa and England. Will Australia be any different? Only time can answer this curious query. Hopefully, Dhawan will make it to the World Cup high on confidence.
--By A Cricket Analyst
