South Africa vs India 2018: 5 reasons Indian management should choose Rahul over Dhawan

A day before the Sri Lanka ODI's MSK Prasad, the chairman of selectors remarked in an interview with The Hindu, "We are going to try out KL Rahul at No. 4 in this series. He is too good a player to sit out."-

When Michael Clarke was questioned on Rahul's future prospects, he was quoted as saying - Looks like he’s going to be a star!

Looks like he is going to be a star! https://t.co/UAyLN0iUoH

— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) August 29, 2016

These are just a few thoughts which reflect just how highly he is regarded in the cricketing circuit. Ever since the nightmarish debut, the only way has been up for the Karnataka batsman. In the last three years, Rahul has graduated from being just another talented and promising youngster to being one of best openers going in world cricket, enroute overcoming arduous challenges.

Going into South Africa, he faces yet another. The opening combination will still be undecided once Dhawan returns from injury or the second test. Nevertheless, whatever the combination be, the openers will have a crucial role to play in negating the swing, pace and guile of one of the most formidable bowling line ups.

If India are to end the 25 year wait, KL must be picked ahead of Dhawan to open with Vijay. Here are 5 reasons why that must be the case.

Form

Rahul would look to carry his scintillating form into the South Africa series

KL has been in superb form in Test cricket of late. His exemplary run of form reads - 64, 10, 90, 51, 67, 60, 51*, 57, 85, 0, 79, 7. That's 9 half-centuries in his last 12 Test innings and 8 fifty-plus scores in his last ten knocks, all of which have come at an average of 51.75 per innings.

Rahul, carried this superlative test match form into the most recently concluded Sri Lanka T20 series where he made 154 runs at an impressive average of 51.33. He silently went about his game playing second fiddle to Rohit Shama's 118 and Yuzvendra Chahal's 4 wicket hauls.

If team India are to make good use of the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman's rich vein of form, the selectors must give him the green signal to open in South Africa.

Dhawan's erratic ways

India v Pakistan - ICC Champions Trophy Final

Form also favours Shikhar Dhawan, who put on an exemplary performance against Sri Lanka in the ODI series. However, time and again as it has happened, just as he seems to go off the radar, he manages to revive himself with a short string of match-winning performances. The Sri Lanka series could well have been one of those instances where Dhawan showed an odd spurt of form at a rather irregular interval.

Roll back the years. Dhawan had a poor run in South Africa in 2013 and later in the New Zealand ODIs in 2014. Consequently, he was dropped midway through the series and just managed to give himself another chance with a hundred in Auckland. Following this, he faded away yet again only to be dropped halfway through the England series in the same year. However he returned for the ODIs and managed to get a face-saving half-century which all but sealed his place for the home season.

The mouse abroad was a lion at home.

A hundred and three fifties against the mediocre Sri-Lankan and Windies attack meant he would be picked for the tour Down Under. The mouse returned, but he was a mere shadow of his home self. The lion had to emerge sometime soon and so it did at the MCG against the South Africans in the World Cup.

Fast forward to 2017: Dhawan struggled for form in the Carribean Islands and looked in extreme discomfort against the likes of Trent Boult and Matt Henry in the lone test he played against New Zealand. Then came the Sri-Lanka tour. A daddy hundred and so, he's managed to book a seat on the flight to South Africa.

Style of Play

Australia v India - 4th Test: Day 3

Dhawan may provide the flair at the top of the order that Rahul lacks, but what is required in South Africa is maintaining the tempo at the start of the innings. This is exactly what Rahul can provide.

Rahul, technically proficient like Rahane, would thrive in such seamer-friendly conditions. Along with Vijay and Pujara, he would help blunt out the opposition’s pace attack and look to lay a solid platform for the middle order to capitalize on. Among the formidable quartet of pacers for the hosts, three of them – Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel, are making a return from injuries.

If Rahul ends up putting the trio in the field for long, it could make the job easier for the rest of the batting line-up and the series ahead. Given Dhawan’s gung-ho approach, it is unlikely that he can undertake this task of batting for longer durations. If required, Rahul, besides accumulating runs could also play the role of a controlled aggressor as he has for the Royal Chanllengers in the shorter version.

Another factor to consider is that the last time India went to South Africa ,Dhawan failed to to do justice to the restraints of his aggressive stroke play in bowling-friendly conditions. His game was opened up by Dale Steyn and Co as he was continuously dismissed trying to pull or hook.

Dhawan is yet to overcome the problem of nicking the deliveries outside off-stump, and continues to struggle with the problem of handling incoming deliveries. There remains a very real possibility that his poor start in South Africa 2013 could continue in 2018.

Looking ahead

At just 25, Rahul could serve Indian Cricket for another decade

Tilting it in Lokesh Rahul's favour is his age. Given that he is only 25, investing in Rahul could help overcome the overseas assignments for the next year and a half. He has the ability and technique to the play the new ball as he demonstrated against Australia.

The 32-year-old left-handed opener on the hand cannot be looked at as one for the future any longer. He had his fair share of opportunities but never really managed to cement his spot at the top of the order. It is time India groom Rahul.

This tour is just the right time to get him introduced to various conditions.Once he learns to acclimatise himself in such conditions, he would be better prepared to lead the Indian side at the top of the order in their next few overseas assignments in 2018.

The other numbers

The bulk of Dhawan's runs overseas have come against Sri Lanka

Over the course of these 5 years, Delhi batsman Shikhar Dhawan hasn’t done much to dispel the ever-spoken shortcoming of his - his limitations as an overseas opener.

He averages 45.12 away from home in Tests. While what seems a more than a healthy average, it is a figure that is pure deceptive. Reason being most of these have come against mediocre attacks on dead sub-continental pitches.

The stats reveal how his game may be opened up by quality bowling attacks such as those on show. Dhawan, with his 190 in Galle and 173 in Bangladesh, has managed to rescue his shoddy average as an overseas batsman. Discounting the runs made in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Dhawan averages a mere 30.25 in 24 innings. Plenty of opportunities, but nothing substantial to give the hosts something to break their head over.

In light of the above, as fortune (for Rahul) would have it, Dhawan has been ruled out with an injury. In all likelihood he is likely to be fit for the second test and should we go by coach Ravi Shastri's words, he would be the first choice to open.

However, the opportunity of playing the first Test has rightly presented itself for the right hander and he should be more than ready to make good use of it to give the team management something to ponder upon. If given opportunity enough, the series which promises to be humdinger should finally settle the debate - Rahul or Dhawan.