Why the T20I series against England could be a make or break one for Shikhar Dhawan

While Team India have most of their bases covered in their T20I squad, the quandary remains over Shikhar Dhawan vs KL Rahul as Rohit Sharma's opening partner.

The five-match T20I series is being viewed as a preparatory contest for the T20 World Cup in India later this year. Thus both teams will be keen to get their squads in order and all but finalise their rosters for the mega event.

Shikhar Dhawan and Rahul opened the batting in the limited-overs contests in Australia when Rohit Sharma was in quarantine. However, with the vice-captain fit, he automatically walks into the team at the top of the batting order.

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan form a formidable pair in the 50-overs format, without an iota of doubt. However, while Rohit Sharma has been equally destructive in both the limited-overs formats, the same cannot be said about the left-hander.

Shikhar Dhawan has blown hot and cold in the T20 version over the last few years. As a result, his place in the team is very precarious. And, with the emergence of Rahul as an opener, it clearly is perform-or-perish time for Shikhar Dhawan in T20Is.

Shikhar Dhawan vs KL Rahul in T20Is

Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul

A comparative analysis of the two players' performances in T20Is since the start of 2019 shows that Shikhar Dhawan has scored 437 runs in 18 games at an average of 25.7. All these runs have been scored by the 35-year-old while opening the innings.

In the same period, Rahul has amassed 760 runs in 20 matches at an excellent average of 44.7. He has opened the batting in 17 of these matches, as either Shikhar Dhawan or Rohit Sharma have been unavailable. Rahul’s record as a T20I opener is equally good as Shikhar Dhawan's. He has 685 runs to his name at an average of 45.66.

All in a training day’s work 💪🔥 pic.twitter.com/v4ws2Osgln

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) March 10, 2021

In their overall T20I careers, Rahul enjoys a superior record. In 45 matches, the 28-year-old has smashed 1542 runs at an average of 44.05 and a handsome strike-rate of 144.92. Apart from 12 fifties, he also has two hundreds to his name.

As for Shikhar Dhawan, the veteran player hasn’t quite found his feet in the shortest format in international cricket. In 64 games, he has 1669 runs to his name, doing so at an average of 28.28 and a strike-rate of 12.28, which is on the lower side. Moreover, despite being an opener, Shikhar Dhawan is yet to register a hundred in T20Is.

The problem with playing both Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul

Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul

One of the ways to accommodate both KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan in the playing eleven would be to open with one of them open and get the other to bat at number three. However, that would mean sacrificing skipper Virat Kohli at No. 3.

It is often said that a team's best batsman must face the most deliveries so that maximum runs can be scored. That adage holds true in the T20 format as well, where there are only 120 balls per innings.

Kohli coming in at No. 4 will be way too low for a batsman of his calibre. Also, changing the top three would mean extending the batting order unnecessarily, as Shreyas Iyer is just beginning to settle in at the No. 4 slot.

Moreover, with Rishabh Pant coming back, the left-hander and Hardik Pandya would be expected to play the role of finishers. Thus it is possible there could be a tussle between Shikhar Dhawan and Rahul for the second opener’s slot.

Why Shikhar Dhawan can never be written off

Shikhar Dhawan in the IPL

Despite his obvious shortcomings in the T20 format, one can never really write off Shikhar Dhawan. There were question marks raised over his ability in the version going into last year's IPL. However, the left-hander responded by creating history, becoming the first player to crack back-to-back hundreds in the tournament.

He was instrumental in Delhi Capitals, making it to the IPL 2020 final, finishing the edition with 618 runs in 17 matches at an average of 44.14 and an excellent strike-rate of 144.73 - numbers that simply cannot be ignored.

Proud of you boys @ImRo45 @RishabhPant17 🔥 Batting at its finest 😊 pic.twitter.com/kXM9G2rp4a

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) March 5, 2021

Shikhar Dhawan, however, had a mixed time in Australia, registering scores of 1, 52 and 28. He looked good but could not convert his starts into big knocks, something that is often considered as the hallmark of great openers in T20Is. Rohit Sharma is the perfect illustration of this special brand of players.

With Rahul performing so brilliantly, it would be unfair to keep him out of the playing XI. And so, in case Shikhar Dhawan does get a chance, he will have to perform sensationally to keep KL Rahul out of the starting XI.

If Shikhar Dhawan doesn’t get an opportunity to play in the England series, his fortunes in the format will more or less be sealed. Either way, it will be a make-or-break series for Dhawan.