Shikhar Dhawan is a rather unique case in Indian cricket. He is a prolific run-scorer in ODI cricket, looks a million dollar in Test matches when in home conditions, but struggles overseas.
After the recent disappointments in England, the left-hander was dropped for the home series against the West Indies and has also missed out on a place for the Australia tour.
However, the left-hander does not want to sit and rue over the fact, but wants to go back to domestic cricket and prove his worth.
"I am disappointed to miss the Australia Test series, but it's fine. I will be going to play the T20 and ODI series. I will try to play well in domestic cricket and try to earn back my Test spot," Dhawan said in a conversation with The Quint.
Praises the unique talent of Prithvi Shaw
In the ongoing ODI series against West Indies, the left-hander has looked good when at the crease, but keeps getting out and has not been able to convert the bright starts into significant scores. With India taking an unassailable lead in the 5-match series, the next match presents him with an opportunity to go big.
In the Test series against West Indies, young Prithvi Shaw made his debut and made an immediate splash with a century. He also bagged the man of the series award and this has drawn praise from the left-hander.
"He is a great talent and it is a very big thing to play for India at the age of 18, and at the same time, doing so well in his 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 India at 25 or 26 but he made his debut at 18 and also scored a century. It's a very big deal," Dhawan said.
Notably, in Dhawan's absence, India are going in with KL Rahul, Murali Vijay and young Shaw as the three openers for Australia Tests.
Vijay was dropped mid-way during the England tour earlier this year, but the Tamil Nadu opener has been drafted into the squad after a good show in the county championships. Also, the 34-year-old had scored 482 runs from four Tests during the 2014-15 tour and finished third on the list of top-scorers behind Steve Smith and Virat Kohli.
