Is Shikhar Dhawan's poor form a matter of concern for India?
Every time we talk about the Indian white-ball setup, we focus primarily on the formidable top 3. This trio has scored almost 70% of the runs that India have scored since World Cup 2015. The top 3 have been the protagonist of nearly every success story that India has had in the last few years.
One of those lethal top 3 is Shikhar Dhawan. Dhawan is a batsman who can instill positivity in you just with his attitude. He always has a smile on his face and it seems he never gets bogged down by his failures.
However, behind a wide smile will certainly be a worried expression as far as Dhawan is concerned. He's a prolific batter and when he gets going, he is quite a player to watch. But his form in the recent few series has been a cause of concern for Team India.
Dhawan has just two 50-plus scores in his last 14 innings. He averaged 22.4 in the ODI series against the Windies last October. Even in the 3-match series against Australia, he scored a mere 55 runs at an average of 18.
Dhawan must have heaved a sigh a relief when he scored two back-to-back half-centuries in the first two ODI games against New Zealand. However, he has tapered off after that again.
If you look at Dhawan and his numbers, you will be really confused. In no game has it looked as though he was not middling the ball or that he was facing technical issues. It has just been about him getting a start and throwing it away.
For an opener, getting a 30 and not carrying on is perhaps more painful than getting a duck. His intent to go after the bowling from the word 'go' has probably let him down in recent times.
Yes, he's got out to left-arm seamers like Beherndorff and Boult, but that does look like a huge concern.
The problem lies in the head. A more measured approach and some time on the crease will definitely help him. He must put a price tag on his wicket.
Dhawan does not quite have the tendency to make his starts count. This is evident from the fact that his highest ODI score is just 137, even after playing 124 games. This is in stark comparison to Rohit Sharma, who absolutely loves to score daddy hundreds.
Dhawan would also want the support of Rohit, who has also looked a little flat in his last few innings. KL Rahul, who showed signs of good form in the T20Is versus Australia, will be desperately waiting for his chance. In fact, with India looking to experiment, Dhawan may even be rested for a couple of games in the ongoing ODI series.
All things considered, Dhawan does not have a lot of time to come back to form.
However, that doesn't change the fact that he's a class player and that the team has immense confidence in him. India will be hoping that he comes good in the second ODI against Australia at Nagpur, as they would not want their top 3 to face the issue that the middle order was facing a couple of months ago.