Batters Like Shikhar Dhawan Need Just One Good Innings To Strike Form – Former India Head Coach

Former Indian head coach and team selector, Anshuman Gaekwad has backed the selection of Shikhar Dhawan in the upcoming India tour of South Africa and said that the senior opening batsman is just one innings away from gaining back the form.

Shikhar Dhawan is not having a very good run with his bat lately as in the second half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 he scored 207 runs in eight innings and in the three games he has played so far in the Vijay Hazare Trophy he has scored 0, 12 and 14 runs.

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Meanwhile, Anshuman Gaekwad has highlighted that even legendary players like Sunil Gavaskar and Mohinder Amarnath had a rough patch in their careers and the same thing is going on with Dhawan and he just needs “one good innings to strike form”.

“It all depends on how selectors look at it. I believe form can change but class remains, and batters like Shikhar need just one good innings to strike form.

“Sometimes, you have a bad patch and it has happened to the best of the players, including Sunil Gavaskar and Mohinder Amarnath. In that phase, no matter what you try, you just don’t get the result,” Gaekwad told Sportstar.

Former Indian Head Coach further added: “In such times, it is important for some soul searching. You cannot exactly pinpoint what it is – whether it is mental, technical- and such things happen. You have to hang in there and ensure that one innings comes soon. If need be, take a break and start afresh.”

A Big Match Player Like Shikhar Dhawan Brings That Experience In The Batting Department, Which Is Very Crucial – Anshuman Gaekwad

Gaekwad was asked about Dhawan’s role in the team to which he replied by saying that he brings a lot of experience with him which will benefit India in the South Africa tour.

“His massive experience, Okay, he is not in best of forms, but then a big match player like him brings that experience in the batting department, which is very crucial in the South African conditions.

“He could revolve the game around him and also guide the youngster. Just that, he has to back himself and hang in there in those conditions,” he said.

Gaekwad further added that IPL and domestic cricket numbers won’t affect the selection of quality player like Dhawan in the One Day Internationals team.

“IPL cannot be a base for Tests or even ODI cricket, because in the end, they all are different formats. There have been a lot of players who were picked in the national side on the basis of their IPL performances and many have disappeared. You don’t see them in any forms of cricket now, not even in Ranji Trophy or Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

“So, you need that (temperament and mentality) in international cricket, I believe in horses for courses, but at the same time, you have to give importance to experience…And a player like Shikhar has that quality,” he maintained.

Also Read: Mayank Agarwal Reveals The Advice He Got From Rahul Dravid Which Helped Him Perform Well In Mumbai Test vs New Zealand

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