Shikhar Dhawan's Test career is at a crossroads
2010 was when Shikhar Dhawan made his debut for India. Clean bowled by fast bowler Clint McKay for a 2 ball duck, it was a disastrous start. However, his true arrival at the international scene was against the visiting Aussies in 2013. He scored a majestic 187 on Test debut as he announced himself on the big stage.
And right from then, one word most people associate with this man - talent.
But to be a top flight international cricketer, you need to be able to blend talent with consistency. And for large parts of his career, Dhawan has failed to include the consistency factor.
To his credit, he has improved his white ball game by leaps and bounds. Forming a potent opening partnership with Rohit Sharma, Dhawan is a certainty in India's white ball teams these days. And with India heavily dependant on its top order, especially in ODIs, Dhawan's importance cannot be undermined. Even in the IPL, Dhawan is SRH's batting mainstay, alongside David Warner and Kane Williamson.
So while his white ball game seems to be in the pink of health, his Test career is at a cross-roads. Not for the first time at that. It has become a cycle of sorts, wherein he performs admirably in Asian conditions but fails during the overseas tours. Apart from the New Zealand tour in early 2014, Dhawan has been unable to stamp his authority in other nations.
During the recent series in England, however, Dhawan showed he could adjust and tone down his natural game according to requirements. But Dhawan is 32 years old now, and won't be getting any younger.
With a strong showing in the just concluded Asia Cup, Dhawan has reaffirmed his abilities in Asian and subcontinental conditions.
Virat Kohli in particular has time and again mentioned Dhawan's ability to run away with the game in few sessions. This ability invariably is accompanied by more significant risks of losing his wicket, and that is possibly something people have failed to digest.
It's make or break time for Dhawan's Test career. He has shown that he is ready to put his head down and work hard towards becoming a better Test batsman. But as he mentioned at the end of the England tour, although he felt he had improved his game. he wasn't quite able to meet the expectations of the management.
As such, the ball is now in the selectors' court. Whether or not to pick him for the Aussie tour is a headache they presently have to live with.