Shikhar Dhawan eyes Champions Trophy for India comeback
What’s the story?
Opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan has set his sights on the upcoming Champions Trophy for making a comeback into the Indian team. The 31-year old admitted to paying the price for his inconsistency and vowed to utilise the domestic circuit to catch the selectors’ attention.
When asked about his chances in the 2017 Champions Trophy, Dhawan said, “Absolutely. For that I have two to three months and three to four tournaments. I will do better. In ODIs, my performance has been top-notch. I feel that if I do good (in these tournaments), there will be a great chance for me to get into the side.”
Extra Cover: Shikhar Dhawan is keeping his head up despite missing out on India's squad for Bangladesh Test
He reasoned, “Consistency, I could not do it. I tried completely but (it) did not happen. I could do better but as a batsman I always analyse and I try to improve. And now I know that I have to score consistently to get in. I am an impact player. So if I stand and score runs, my team is going to win the game. That is my biggest strength and once I start doing it more consistently, it is going to be good for me and I will have good chance for making a comeback.”
The Context
Dhawan’s ODI career took flight during the 2013 edition of the Champions Trophy held in the United Kingdom. With 363 runs from 5 matches at an average of 90.75 and strike-rate of 101.39 including 2 centuries, the left-hander played a key role in helping India lift the trophy and rightfully received the Player of the Tournament award for his exploits.
The heart of the matter
However, Dhawan seems to have lost his way in the recent past. Troubled by various injuries and plagued by inconsistency, he has found the going tough. With the emergence of KL Rahul, he could not hold onto his place in the Indian side across all formats.
The stroke-player returned to the team during the recently completed ODI series against England. But, scores of 1 and 11 saw him concede his spot to Ajinkya Rahane in the third match. He was not considered for the ensuing T20I series. For the one-off Test against Bangladesh, the selectors overlooked him and included Abhinav Mukund as the reserve opener in the squad.
What‘s next?
Dhawan's chances of making the squad for the 4-Test series against Australia do not look too promising. His next assignment will be for North Zone in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Inter Zonal T20 tournament which is slated to begin on Sunday. Then, he has the Vijay Hazare Trophy to showcase his skills in the 50-overs format.
Sportskeeda’s Take
As he himself acknowledged, inconsistency remains a major issue with Dhawan. But, Rahul too seems to be facing the same problem even as Rahane is still unable to establish himself in the limited-overs formats.
With Rohit Sharma almost certain to return for the Champions Trophy, there could be some heavy competition for the second opener’s slot.