Back in 2013, with the blockbuster Indian opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir passing their prime, Indian selectors gave opportunities to Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay.
The Dhawan-Vijay duo started with a bang in Test cricket creating a record opening partnership during the Mohali Test match when Australia toured India in 2013. Dhawan scored 187 runs on his debut innings.
Dhawan then translated his rich form in Tests into white-ball cricket and has never looked back ever since. The Delhi opener remains an integral part of India’s plans in coloured clothing.
However, despite providing several opportunities to Dhawan in the whites, the flashy stroke-maker had been highly inconsistent, especially in challenging overseas conditions.
Now, with the likes of Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Prithvi Shaw in the reckoning, many, including Aakash Chopra, believe that Dhawan’s Test career is over.
“Never say never, he might get a chance. But will he get a chance quickly? I don’t think it can happen right now because there are already several options as openers for Test cricket,” Chopra said on his Youtube channel.
“Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw and KL Rahul. There are already four options ahead of Dhawan who is in the 5th position. It means that the position of strength which Dhawan had is not there anymore, and that privilege is not there anymore. So Shikhar Dhawan may happen sometime in the future, but not in the near future because the team has started looking ahead,” he added.
“I think it has not been spoken but they have taken call on his Test career that he is a superb white-ball player, so he should focus on ODIs and T20Is. But in Test cricket, we are investing in other people. Be it Rohit Sharma, or KL Rahul – who should definitely be getting a chance to open in Test cricket very soon. There is Mayank Agarwal who has done well, and of course, Prithvi Shaw. So, I don’t think Shikhar Dhawan is going to get a chance in near future,” Chopra concluded.
