Fate works in mysterious ways. For Shikhar Dhawan, it has seen him cut short a holiday and transport him to Galle where he scored his career-best knock.
The opener, who had lost favour with India’s team management, has found himself back in the mix. However, head coach Ravi Shastri has given assurances to those out injured that their place in the playing XI is secure despite the growing competition.
It was injury to Murali Vijay that had forced the team management to rush Dhawan into the team. With KL Rahul already fit for the second Test, Dhawan’s place in the XI is already not a certainty. Once Vijay returns, it is likely that the Delhi batsman will have to make way for the duo.
Musical chairs for the opening slots
While scoring his career-best tally of 190, Dhawan was a man possessed. He made light work of a Sri Lankan attack, which anyway did not inspire much confidence. His knock laid the foundation for India’s massive 304-run win. His effort has caused a dilemma for skipper Virat Kohli, who is spoilt for choice when it comes to the opening slot.
Other than Dhawan and Rahul, Abhinav Mukund, who incidentally was chosen ahead of the Delhi batsman for the series, produced an impressive performance in the second innings of the first Test. His sharp close-in fielding gave India two crucial wickets during the game, and has already made his case stronger considering India’s reliance on spin.
If picked for the second Test that begins in Colombo on Thursday, Dhawan will once again be in focus. Another big knock will at least assure him of a place in the squad, if not in the XI.
Kohli has labelled the openers’ dilemma as a “good headache”. But, it is a tough choice that he will have to make. The skipper took a tough call at the start of the series when he left out Rohit Sharma out of the playing XI. Sharma had been in fine form in his last few innings, but was left warming the bench despite returning from injury.
India have their tails up
India’s middle-order fared well despite the absentees. From the top-order to the middle-order, the batting was top notch. Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara have made the middle-order robust. With all-rounder Hardik Pandya also making an impact with the bat, Sharma will have to wait his turn.
In the bowling department, India is just as strong and has no dearth of talent. In the first Test, Mohammed Shami came into the XI replacing Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was one of the stars during India’s Test series win against Australia. Kuldeep Yadav too had impressed against Australia, but is still on the waitlist in this series.
After the 304-run loss in the first Test, Sri Lanka will be low on confidence. Their opponents have their tails up and will be hoping to seal the series in Colombo.
For Indian fans, the focus will be on the skipper ahead of the toss. Who makes the cut for the XI will be of interest.
Whatever the combination, India can do no wrong at the moment. Every step this team takes, seems to be in the right direction. They need to take another step in this series before can call themselves victors. Hopefully, Kohli will take the right call.
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