MSK Prasad Suggests Shikhar Dhawan To Follow VVS Laxman's Template To Make A Comeback In T20Is

Former national selector MSK Prasad suggested Indian opener, Shikhar Dhawan, to follow VVS Laxman’s template of stacking up runs whenever his place was questioned in the side. Dhawan was excluded from India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

The reasoning behind Prasad’s suggestion lies behind the fact that Dhawan is already an experienced veteran. He is a well-known figure in world cricket so he doesn’t necessarily have to grind his way back into the side. When an opportunity presents itself, that’s when Dhawan needs to pounce, according to Prasad.

“To make a quick comeback in the Indian team, what the left-handed opener needs to do is follow the ‘VVS Laxman model.’ VVS always answered you with tonnes of runs if he was dropped. That’s the way Shikhar too should approach his coming assignments.“

“The age that he’s in, he doesn’t require to go through the grind. He just needs to show his good form in whatever format he plays and when the opportunity arises, he comes back. And there’s no need to make any changes in his technique too,” Prasad pointed out.

“Shikhar’s experience would have mattered in the World Cup” – MSK Prasad

The 35-year-old Dhawan has a boastful record in the major ICC events. He might be off-colour in a bilateral series but the left-hander usually turns up for the World Cups or the now-defunct Champions Trophy. The wealth of experience he possesses would have aided the team, as per Prasad. The current chair of selectors, Chetan Sharma, explained that Ishan Kishan was picked over Dhawan as the latter needed to be ‘rested’.

“There may have been an error in terms of terminology as he (Chetan Sharma) tried to explain the role of Ishan Kishan. But there’s nothing called resting when it comes to a major event like the World Cup, where Shikhar’s experience could’ve mattered,” Prasad concluded.

The World Cup snub comes as rather unlucky news for the southpaw. He has been in tremendous form in the last two IPL seasons, even leading the orange cap race in the IPL 2021 edition.

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