Former wicketkeeper batter Saba Karim suggested that team management should go ahead with Shikhar Dhawan only if they feel that 275-300 is the par score for them. Karim suggested that Dhawan is not a player who can score big runs at a strike rate of 130-140. The veteran opener’s spot in the ODI team came under threat after young Ishan Kishan slammed a majestic double century in the third ODI against Bangladesh.
Dhawan has scored just one half-century in the last 11 ODI innings which is not a good sign for him as young stars like Kishan and Shubman Gill have impressed many this year with their consistent run.
“It will depend on the team management, that what sort of cricket they are wanting to play. If the team management still believes that 275-300 is their aim, then you need Shikhar Dhawan because he is still that kind of a player. It is a different thing that he has not scored runs in this series. But if you give him an opportunity again and tell him that we have to score 275-300 only, Shikhar Dhawan’s place will be there till the World Cup. But if we have decided that our par score will be 325-350, there is no place for Dhawan,” Karim said during a discussion on Sony Sports.
Dhawan had a forgettable series against Bangladesh as he registered low strings of scores 7,8 and 3 in the three matches.
“So a lot will depend on the selectors and the team management, the captain, that what expectation you have. If you expect that Shikhar Dhawan will play a big knock at a strike rate of 130-140 in a 350-run game, it is not going to happen,” he added.
