‘Which character will deliver under pressure?’ – Star Indian spinner makes a huge statement while comparing Shikhar Dhawan and Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan, Shikhar Dhawan (Source: Twitter)
Star India batter Shikhar Dhawan has been sidelined from the ODI team after the rise of young openers like Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill. Dhawan had a forgettable series against Bangladesh while Kishan made huge statements by scoring the fastest-ever double hundred in ODI cricket. While Kishan’s record-breaking double ton helped him seal a place in the Indian XI, star Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has given his thoughts on Dhawan’s role in the Indian team.
Sharing his views on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said that the ‘Men-in-Blue’ have always had solid top-order batters. He hailed Dhawan as a reliable batter in white-ball cricket. The former Delhi franchise star also pointed out that Dhawan silently did his work in Team India’s success in the limited-overs formats.
“Only when the Top 3 failed, we had problems in the past. Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli. We talk a lot about Rohit and Kohli, but Dhawan is a stalwart. He was silently doing his job. Will his place be a big void to fill for Team India?,” Ashwin said.
The left-handed opener has played 167 ODIs for Team India. He was dropped from the ODI squad after his dismal show against Bangladesh in December. Reacting to Dhawan’s sacking from ODIs, Ashwin stated that the team management should make their decisions keeping in mind which player can perform under pressure instead of selecting on the basis of one big knock.
“Should we go back to Shikhar Dhawan, or should we groom Ishan Kishan, who has just scored a double hundred? Instead of backing a player on the basis of one huge score, we should see what the team requires. Which character will deliver under pressure? Which character will serve us for a long time?,” Ashwin continued.
Ishan Kishan was dropped after a double hundred: Ravichandran Ashwin
Despite his record-shattering double hundred, Kishan failed to find a place in the Indian playing XI in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. With Kishan warming the bench, young opener Shubman Gill strengthened his selection case with his prolific run in the ODI series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
“Ishan Kishan was dropped after a double hundred, but Team India has seen Shubman Gill’s run in the past. He has scored hefty runs and has been the most consistent batter for the team over a period of time. He also plays the slog sweep and the traditional sweep, can cut and pull pacers. Smart batting, quality batting and acceleration towards the end. He accelerated beautifully in the last four overs and hit that 200 in the Hyderabad ODI,” Ashwin added.
