Posting Point
It was the month of May 2013, and the month had started with a surprise for Indian cricket fans. The Indian squad for the Online Cricket Id Trophy, which begins in June, did not include the star opening pair of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag. Instead, the selectors went with two unknown openers – Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan – who were neither young nor inexperienced.
The Starting Point
Rohit had been in the team since 2007, but trusting Dhawan, who hadn’t played an ODI in two years, with the difficult job raised many eyebrows, especially because it came at the expense of his Delhi teammate Gautam Gambhir, a far more proven and seasoned player. The decision to begin with Dhawan immediately paid dividends, as he cruised to a fluent 114 off 94 balls in the tournament opener, followed by another century against the West Indies. The doubts and inquiries were answered. The two knocks served as a foreshadowing of how he would react to obstacles in his future career.
Return to the Present
Fast forward to January 2022, and despite doing admirably in his limited opportunities, selecting Shikhar Dhawan in ODIs is no longer regarded a no-brainer. With the development of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Prithvi Shaw, among many other great openers, the Delhiite southpaw’s job is becoming increasingly difficult. In fact, in his early days, he was a threat to an experienced player.
Shikhar Dhawan, known for his laid-back yet determined demeanor, knows a thing or two about producing under pressure. Since the beginning of 2020, he has scored 756 runs in 14 ODIs at an astounding average of 58.15. He has played the majority of these knocks while competing for a berth in the team.
Meeting the Challenges
In the first One-Day International (ODI) between India and England in March of last year, he had a point to prove. The stakes were high for Dhawan before the series opener, as he was squeezed into the XI by accommodating KL at No.5. Unsurprisingly, he won the match with Online Cricket Id, scoring a well-compiled 98 and coming two runs short of a well-deserved century.
The pressure was also great in the ODI between India and Australia in Mohali. After posting scores of 0, 21, and 1 in the first three ODIs, his form was a source of concern given that it was World Cup year (2019). He responded to the critics in style, scoring 143 off 115 balls, 90 of which went for goals.
Shikhar Dhawan: India’s Most Improved T20 Batsman
Not to mention that he has been one of India’s most improved T20 batsmen in the last two years. It is shown in his IPL statistics from that time period: 1205 runs, 41.55 Avg, 134.18 SR. His strike rate is higher than that of KL Rahul, widely regarded as the top T20I player in the world. His dismissal from the squad for the T20 World Cup in 2021 is a separate matter entirely.
Shikhar Dhawan found himself under siege once again during the recently concluded ODI series between South Africa and India. The challenge of scoring runs while reacting as if he doesn’t know any other way, produced a top-scoring 79 in the first game, followed by scores of 29 and 61 in the other two games, thus concluding the series as India’s leading run-scorer. In the process, he reinforced the notion that obstacles are not worth conquering for him. In an otherwise poor series, his form was a significant plus for the visitors.
With the 2023 World Cup in mind, many were skeptical of his inclusion on the team, given his age. However, his top-scoring performance in the series served as a reminder that he still has a long way to go in ODIs and is poised to play a key part in the World Cup.
What are your opinions?
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I was pleased to see India’s selection for the T20I and ODI series against the West Indies. There could have been a few more tweaks. However, the devastating series loss to South Africa pleasantly resolved some selection quandaries for the home series against the West Indies. We have already questioned the selecting procedure – Indian Selectors: It all starts here. However, with the addition of a few young players, there appeared to be an effort to improve on the flaws that we would address further in this article.
The Crack’s spinners must be effective
Ravi Bishnoi, a spinner from the 2020 Under-19 squad, received his first national call-up. With Chahal not at his best, his selection appears to be an attempt to fix India’s leg-spin dilemma. Furthermore, the return of Axar in T20Is and Sundar from injury bolstered the spin bowling and allrounder departments. Sundar, a technically sound batsman, can bat at 7 in an Online Cricket Id. However, his spot in the XI may be in doubt given his lack of offensive bowling ability in the 50-over format.
In Search of Batting Allrounders
There appears to be confusion over the sixth bowling option and the Indian team’s balance. The infatuation with fast bowling allrounders and the sixth bowling option prompted management to try Venkatesh at position 6, which was not his favourite position. Venkatesh; dropped immediately after a series in which he didn’t receive many chances, is a dubious choice. However, the pick of Deepak Hooda – mostly a middle-order batter who can bowl – appears to be in the right path as a result of obsession. Venkatesh Iyer has also retained his status in T20Is. Deepak might be paired with Hardik or Venkatesh to bowl the 5th bowler quota if he does well with the bat and bowl.
The Core of Fast Bowling
Bumrah and Shami have taken a break. As a result, Md. Siraj and Avesh Khan were able to capitalize on their well-deserved opportunity. Harshal, Deepak, and Shardul also have significant roles to play. Furthermore, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been dropped from ODIs, which is a reasonable choice.
Clarification on the Injuries
More often than not, we familiarise ourselves with the injuries of the players through the ‘sources’. This time, however, the BCCI has explicitly identified a list of players who are out owing to injury. This is the first step in the correct direction toward achieving transparency.
The Decisions for the Second Thought
Definitely, the Selectors have given satisfying calls, however, there are a few areas to be addressed in my opinion.
- With the absence of finishers, the outstanding domestic performer – Sharukh Khan – certainly deserved his maiden call.
- There isn’t any development over Varun Chakravarti and Rahul Chahar who were considered ahead of Chahal in the T20I World Cup.
- As mentioned in my tweet, the selectors could have been more specific and precise with their picks. They could have easily lightened the squad size with that.
- With all talk around India’s series defeat, a genuine question – Do we even require a 19 member squad for a 3 match series? Infact, after having a big squad, we haven’t had any proper No.7 player and a left arm spinner. And Was as many as 7 pacers needed for a 3 match series ?
- For instance, there are as many as 5 spinners (including Hooda) in the ODI squad. Will everyone get a fair number of chances? With Kuldeep making a comeback, Shouldn’t Ravi Bishnoi be tried only in T20Is? It would have given Kulcha decent chances to prove their case again.
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Posting Point
