India Need To Take A Call On Shikhar Dhawan's Place In T20I Side - VVS Laxman

Time is running out for India’s opener Shikhar Dhawan in the T20I version. Dhawan hasn’t been at his best in the shortest format of the game and former Indian batsman VVS Laxman believes it is time to take a final call on Dhawan’s T20I future. With the next T20I World Cup a year away, India will need to exercise its options if the southpaw fails to deliver the goods.

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Shikhar Dhawan will need to pull up the socks in the shortest format of the game. The southpaw batsman hasn’t been consistent in the T20I version and he would be under the scanner. Dhawan has a mundane record in the T20I format as he has scored 1337 runs in the 53 T20I matches at an ordinary average of 27.29 and strike rate of 129.55. Thus, Dhawan will like to turn the tables in the upcoming series against South Africa.

Shikhar Dhawan will need to pull up his socks.

Meanwhile, VVS Laxman believes there are a lot of other batsmen who can replace Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order in the shortest format. Dhawan has an immaculate record in ODI format but he hasn’t been able to transpire the same into T20I format.

In fact, VVS Laxman has observed Shikhar Dhawan from close quarters as the southpaw batsman used to play for Sunrisers Hyderabad before making the move to Delhi Capitals.

“With the next T20 World Cup a little over a year away, India will have to decide whether Shikhar Dhawan is still the preferred opening partner for Rohit Sharma going forward. Shikhar has been out of sorts in seven T20Is this year, and there are a lot of other batsmen capable of striking up a good alliance with Rohit at the top of the order. How long a rope the team management is willing to give him will make for interesting viewing,” VVS Laxman wrote in his column for Times of India.

Meanwhile, India also has an option of opening with KL Rahul who has an impressive record in the T20I format. Rahul had played the third T20I against West Indies in which he had scored 20 runs. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has been in sublime form and he would like to bring his best to the table.

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Shikhar Dhawan has been a top batsman for the Indian team and he would like to hit the ground running in the T20I series against South Africa. The first T20I will be played at Dharamshala today.