Discarded Shikhar Dhawan determined to earn his Test spot back

Indian opening batsman, Shikhar Dhawan has vowed to put up a good display and pile on the runs in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy after he was dropped from the Windies Tests and the upcoming Australia tour. India are scheduled to play four Tests against Australia after the limited-overs leg with the first Test starting in Adelaide on 6th of December and the subsequent tests to be played in Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney.

Shikhar Dhawan, who scored the fastest Test century by an Indian on debut in 2013 against Australia was dropped by the selectors for the Test series against Australia in November, owing to an abysmal show in England. The selectors have opted for KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, and Murali Vijay to solve the opening conundrum while Rohit Sharma returns to the test squad.

Dhawan expressed his disappointment in being left out of the squad, however, aims to win his spot back in the test team by putting a promising show in the domestic circuit. In an interview with the Quint, “I’m disappointed to miss the Test series in Australia, but it’s fine. I will be playing the T20I and the ODI series. I will try to play well in domestic cricket and try to earn my Test spot back.”

Shikhar Dhawan lauds Shaw and wishes him all the best for the series down under

The opener also congratulated the 18-year old Prithvi Shaw for being selected in the Test squad. Additionally, he wished him luck for what is going to be a highly anticipated series. He signed off by saying, “He is a great talent and it is a big thing to play for India at the age of 18, and at the same time, doing so well in Test debut. I wish him luck. To play for India at the age of 18 is a very big deal. Not just me, there are so many players who get to play for their nation at 25 or 26 but he made his debut at the age of 18 and also scored a century. It is a very big deal.”

Dhawan, who has formed one of the successful opening partnerships with Rohit Sharma in ODIs and T20Is has also undergone a slight dip in form in one-day cricket. In the ongoing five-match ODI series against Windies, he has been struggling to convert good starts into big scores. Having played four ODIs in the series so far, he has averaged only 26.5. The left-hander averages a solid 46.41 with 4827 runs in 111 ODIs.

~ Written by Aayushman Vishwanathan