Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar raised question marks over the shot making of Shikhar Dhawan. The Indian southpaw batsman was dismissed in a similar fashion when he tried to play a shot through the cover region in the first Test match. The left-hander made 26 and 13 in both the innings of the Edgbaston Test match.
Therefore, the Little Master lashed at Shikhar Dhawan for his poor temperament. Gavaskar said one can get away with such shot in the limited overs format as there are fewer slips. However, the batsman has to be more cautious in the red ball version of the game.
You need to respect the conditions in England.
The former opening batsman said that Dhawan doesn’t want to alter his game in the longest format.
“Shikhar simply does not want to change his game. He believes in playing in the same manner which has brought him success till now,” Gavaskar told Aaj Tak. “You can still get away with such shots in one-day cricket because there aren’t many slips and the push or the edge goes for a boundary through the slip cordon. But in Tests, such shots will only result in a fall of a wicket. Till a player makes a mental adjustment, he will continue to struggle against the red ball in overseas condition,” he added.
However, Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has clarified that Shikhar Dhawan is India’s first choice opener. In fact, Dhawan has a poor record while playing in the overseas conditions. The southpaw batsman averages a mere 20 while playing in England.
Meanwhile, many cricket pundits believe that KL Rahul should accompany Murali Vijay at the opening position. Rahul has shown the promise to do well in all the conditions. However, Shikhar Dhawan hasn’t found his touch in the foreign conditions.
On the other hand, India decided to play their all three openers and Cheteshwar Pujara had to lose out on his place in the playing XI. Virat Kohli has led in 36 Test Matches and he has played a different XI in all these matches. Therefore, some changes can be on the cards for the second Test match at Lord’s.