Is it the end of the road for Shikhar Dhawan in T20Is?
When the India squad for T20 World Cup was announced, a few questions were raised about Shikar Dhawan's omission from the squad. Chetan Sharma, the chairman of selectors, only added fuel to the fire when he bizarrely stated that Dhawan was simply 'rested' for the upcoming mega event in the UAE and Oman.
The truth of the matter might be that Dhawan, who was the leading run-scorer in the first leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, has been dropped from India's 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup that was announced on September 8.
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Shikhar Dhawan - also known as 'Gabbar' - was a mainstay in the Indian team, with his formidable opening partnerships alongside Rohit Sharma for a number of years. However, KL Rahul was picked ahead of Dhawan for the T20I series against England earlier this year.
With Rohit and Rahul flurrishing as an opening partnership, albeit in two different formats, it could be the go-to combination for the Indian side in the T20 World Cup 2021. Virat Kohli is also tipped to open the batting, as he did in the final T20I against England earlier this year. Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan got the nod primarily because of his ability and flexibility to play as a floater in the batting order.
According to a report from Cricbuzz, ahead of the recent England white-ball series, the Indian selectors wanted to have another opener instead of Dhawan, but Virat Kohli backed the southpaw, stating that he is a 'must' in the ODI setup.
The Indian skipper's claims could be backed by the numbers as well. In the most recent ODI series against England, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma brought up 5,000 runs together as a pair, becoming only the second Indian opening pair to do so after Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.
Individually too, Dhawan has shown that he is a master of building an innings with a good tempo in the 50-over format. The 35-year-old's strike rate in ODI matches is the highest amongst India's in-favour top three - Kohli (93.17), Rahul (89.28) and Rohit (88.90).
Shikhar Dhawan recently captained the Indian side that toured Sri Lanka in July. One of the senior-most members of the squad, the Delhi batsman led the team from the front and was India's highest run-scorer on the white-ball tour.
However, when it comes to T20Is, Dhawan's strike-rate is the lowest amongst the aforementioned four. While Shikhar strikes at a rate of 126.36 in T20Is, Rohit (138.96), Kohli (139.04) and Rahul (142.19), have all fared better in that regard.
Despite Dhawan being a much improved run-machine in the IPL recently, India haven't had too many opportunities to try and test different combinations at the top of the order because of the lack of T20Is played in the build up to the upcoming World Cup. It is simply unfortunate that Shikhar Dhawan has had to miss out on a spot in the T20 World Cup.
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Over the years, Shikhar Dhawan has come under criticism for his moderate strike rate and calm tempo during his innings. While he generally ticks along at a decent rate, with the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul capable of slipping into potential anchor roles, Dhawan's numbers weren’t in sync with the current trend of giving the team a fast start.
However, in the last two seasons of the IPL, Dhawan has the second fastest run-rate in the powerplay overs (8.50) amongst batsmen who have played a minimum of 10 innings.
After an upsetting loss in the Champions Trophy in 2017, Dhawan was under plenty of scrutiny for his strike rate, which ultimately cost him his place in the side. Until that year, his strike rate in the IPL had never breached the 130-mark. However, since 2018, the Delhi batsman has been striking in the higher 130's and putting in a conscious effort to address the issues surrounding his game.
After representing teams such as the Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers and a successful stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad, Dhawan returned to his hometown to represent Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2019 and racked up 521 runs.
In the 2020 IPL season in the UAE, Dhawan delivered the full package as a T20 opening batsman. He finished as the second highest run-scorer in the tournament, amassing 618 runs at an average of 44.14 and a strike rate of 144.73. The Capitals opener also went onto smash two centuries that season, as fans erupted with the "Gabbar is back" shennanigan.
Shikhar Dhawan in IPL (Last 6yrs)
2016 - 501 runs
2017 - 479 runs
2018 - 497 runs
2019 - 521 runs
2020 - 618 runs
2021 - 400 runs*
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Dhawan has been in fine form in IPL 2021 as well. He's the leading run-scorer in the tournament and will be eager to make a statement by winning the Orange Cap at the end of the season.
Dhawan's new avatar hasn't come about with any technical changes he's had to address. He has always been a technically sound player who is very strong square of the wicket. However, he's just one of those few senior players who has self-admittedly made a conscious effort to evolve and be an impact player for his side in the modern way.
With tone-setting sweeps not just against the spinners but even pacers, Dhawan's looked to have played more freely in recent times as he continues to add some outrageous shots to his arsenal. Perhaps this comes about with the responsibility he has had to shoulder in this young Delhi Capitals' batting lineup.
With the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Indian team, and Kane Williamson and David Warner in the Sunrisers Hyderabad side, Shikhar Dhawan's contributions have gone under the radar. However, the veteran hasn't shyed away from shouldering the responsibility at Delhi Capitals.
In his post-match interview after the Delhi Capitals' win against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their first game of the second leg of the IPL 2021, Dhawan stated that he had made a conscious effort to increase the tempo and it was just about executing his plans.
Former Indian cricketer MSK Prasad recently suggested that Shikhar Dhawan needs to follow VVS Laxman's model and score a lot of runs to make a comeback into the Indian T20I team. Laxman would always answer his critics with tons of runs if he was dropped from the Indian team.
While Dhawan has certainly been doing that, only time will tell if his exclusion from the T20 World Cup squad on the basis of a 'rest' will be the end of the road for the Indian opener in T20Is.