Gautam Gambhir was like a walking wicket in Australia in 2012, and if early indications are anything to go by, the same might be the case with Shikhar Dhawan this time. Although these are still very early days in the event, things do not seem too bright as far as the left-hander is concerned. He has featured in three innings on the tour so far, and has failed in all of them. Although two of them were in practice games, it still did not augur well for the future. Dhawan did get 25 in the first innings at Adelaide, but his eventual dismissal wasn't surprising. And, thus when he was dismissed by Ryan Harris, one could almost see it coming.
One of the reasons why it is very difficult for Dhawan to succeed in away conditions is because his game is too one-dimensional. The southpaw can only score by attacking the bowlers. And for that, he needs to take risks. The move pays off on the sub-continent, where the ball does not do a lot. But, when there is lateral movement in the pitch, Dhawan's strength turns into his weakness. At Adelaide as well, he looked to survive by playing his strokes. It worked for a while. But, his eventual returns of only 25 runs were not impressive. The poor performance will put further pressure on him as the series progresses.
Although the series is only one innings old, Dhawan's failures date back to the England series, and even before, which is why the lack of runs from his bat is hugely worrying. He did get three consecutive 50 plus scores at home against Sri Lanka, and was in form against West Indies as well previously, but it is his Test form that is the cause of concern. Remember, he had to be dropped from the last two Tests in England, because he failed to register a single half-century, unacceptable for an opener. The way he has begun in Australia, this will pretty much be a make or break series for Dhawan, the Test cricketer.
The problem with Dhawan and his failures is that he doesn't seem to possess the technique to tame the moving ball. As an opener you need to be good enough to stop the good balls from getting you out. This is where Dhawan's predecessor in the side Virender Sehwag was so special. Even though Sehwag also did not have a great technique, he had wonderful hand-eye coordination, as a result of which he was successful in hitting even the good balls for fours. This is where Dhawan is lacking in. He looks like a sitting duck against the short ball, and even when the ball is pitched up, he fails to keep it on the ground, most often. This is why his failures come into the limelight so often -- his dismissals are ugly.
It can be argued that Dhawan has tasted success in international cricket by adopting the same aggressive approach. It was also why he had such a sensational debut to his Test career, against the Aussies at home. Also, he scored plenty of runs for India in one-dayers in various countries at his peak form last year. But, the honeymoon period is over for Dhawan, and now is the time for him to prove that his initial success wasn't a flash in the pan. India had an inkling that there could be trouble at the top, which is why they chose Lokesh Rahul as the back-up opener. Dhawan must be aware of the same. Can he make a mark in Australia under the pressure circumstances?
--By A Cricket Analyst
