IND vs ENG: Is it the end of the road for Shikhar Dhawan in T20I cricket?
If you have to list out the top ODI players in the world right now, Shikhar Dhawan would be one of the players you would pick in the line-up. However, the same can not be said when it comes to T20Is. In fact, for now, it seems that the Indian team has given up on Shikhar in the shortest format.
At the start of the ongoing T20I series against England, captain Virat Kohli said that Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul were going to be the first-choice openers for this series. And, the reason for that call doesn’t seem any unfair. Whenever Rahul and Rohit have batted together, they have had a run-rate of 9.96. However, with Dhawan and Rahul, the run rate drops down to 7.89. A similar thing happens with Shikhar and Rohit opening.
As India is preparing to win the T20 World Cup later this year at home, a stable opening partnership is important. It is also important that the openers give India quick starts and utilise the first six powerplay overs. But, Dhawan’s batting and the way he times his innings is something that spoils this plan.
The numbers game
Since 2018, Dhawan’s record in T20Is has been marginally poor in comparison to KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma. Even if we stop considering the strike rate, the number of runs scored by him is also a problem. Since 2019, Rahul has scored his runs at an average of 38.05 and a strike rate of 138. Rohit’s numbers suggest an average of 30.61 and a strike rate close to 140. Dhawan, at the same time, has an average of 24.50 and a strike rate of 114.24.
This clearly makes the point why Rohit and Rahul were the first-choice. But, Dhawan walked out with Rahul in the first match as Virat’s deputy was rested. His scratchy 12-ball 4 made the situation worse for him. He looked completely out of touch and was dropped going into the second match. Young Jharkhand batsman Ishan Kishan was called in and he responded with a knock of 56, exactly at the rate which the Indian team would have wanted. His knock came off only 32 balls. Given an opportunity, Surya also stunned everyone scoring 57 off 31 balls.
Dhawan playing going forward is unlikely and he will certainly not make it to the deciding T20I now. But, it will be interesting to see how the team handles him going forward. Dhawan has had a couple of really good IPL seasons with the bat, which is also one of the reasons why he has been a regular feature in the T20I squad despite the numbers which we mentioned earlier.
In the 2020 season, he was the second-highest run-getter after KL Rahul, racking 618 runs at an average of 44.14. His strike rate during the tournament was 144.73. In the 13 seasons which he has played, his strike rate has never gone beyond 140. In fact, before 2018, it had never gone beyond 130.
It seems odd that Shikhar’s place in the T20I squad has come into question after he had the best IPL season of his career. But at 35, to question whether his T20I journey has ended isn’t the most absurd thing. For him to make a mark and come back into contention, he would need another great season in the IPL. However, for now, it seems Dhawan’s time in the Indian T20I team is limited or has ceased to exist.
