India vs South Africa: Chance for Shikhar Dhawan to stave off competition in 'breakthrough tour'

Among the traits that define the current Indian team is the intense competition amongst the players. The Virat Kohli-led side, a few days away from facing the South Africans in one of their toughest assignments in recent times, is a well-oiled machine that has a plenty of reserves for every unit. If there is one department that perhaps understands this trend better than the others, it is the opening unit. Picking a pair from the trio of Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay and KL Rahul is what defines the term ‘selector’s headache’ perfectly — given the kind of form that they all are in. The presence of individuals such as Abhinav Mukund, who hit a fluent 82 the last time he batted in whites before making way for the regulars, on the radar only adds to the conundrum. [caption id=“attachment_4281729” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Shikhar Dhawan broke a lean patch of form in Tests with a commanding 190 in Sri Lanka. Reuters[/caption] Having made an indifferent debut back in 2010, it was only during the 2012-13 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy when Dhawan burst onto the scene with a magnificent 187 at Mohali — his entry signalling the exit of the tried-and-tested opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Dhawan’s success continued during India’s victorious run in the Champions Trophy later that summer. One of the defining moments in his career came during the 2015 World Cup, in which he smashed two centuries as well as a half-century in a crunch game against Pakistan to rank among the top five run-getters. As if he holds some kind of sway over ICC tournaments, Dhawan was once again among the runs earlier this year in the Champions Trophy, a tournament which he entered on the back of patchy performances as well as injury issues, registering an average of 67.6. Even though he was back in one-dayers with a bang after the Champions Trophy heroics, his place wasn’t assured in Tests thanks to the lack of runs in the previous year. It took some divine intervention in the form of an injury to Murali Vijay for Dhawan to make a solid case for himself as he smacked a 190 on Test comeback at Galle in the tour of Sri Lanka. To ensure it didn’t look like a one-off knock, he scored a quick-fire 119 at Pallekele, as well as an unbeaten 132 in the Dambulla ODI. The flow of runs for him in whites did not just stop there as he continued his run during Sri Lanka’s return tour of India, getting a couple of half-centuries in the three-Test series.

What stands out from his approach at the crease, especially in the purple patch that he finds himself in at the moment, is his fearlessness and ability to go all guns blazing right from the word go — even if it happens to be the early phase of a Test. His confidence shows as much in his choice of shots and strokeplay as his signature pose after reaching a milestone. One of the blemishes that the southpaw would like removed in the crucial tour of South Africa would be his lack of runs in what is considered a testing country for batsmen. That there is an imbalance between Dhawan’s runs on home soil versus his averages at venues such as South Africa, Australia and England cannot be denied, with a good outing in the 2014 tour of New Zealand (average 53.55) helps him save some face in this regard. The only time he faced the Proteas in the latter’s backyard in the five-day format, he averaged a meagre 19.00, as the visitors lost the series 0-1. The ongoing tour has not been a very happy one so far for the Delhi lad. Aside from the issue of his family members not being able to join him on the other side of the equator due to issues with Emirates Airlines, Dhawan himself is in doubt for the Cape Town Test as he was recently spotted with his left ankle strapped up. Should he get the green light from the physio as well as from the team management, Dhawan will once again find himself fighting a battle to justify his spot in the team. Only this time in a tour that can be considered ‘breakthrough’. Click here to read profiles of other Indian players involved in the Test series against South Africa Click here for the full schedule of India’s tour to South Africa, when and where to watch the matches, live coverage on TV, online streaming