Shikhar Dhawan looks ready to take Virender Sehwag’s mantle

It was barely five months back that, during a telephone interview with Gulf News, Shikhar Dhawan had suggested his own formula for staying away from the pressure of expectations.

It was an obvious question then to the opener from New Delhi, given the fact he was filling in for someone like Gautam Gambhir in the upcoming home Test series against Australia.

“I will try to keep things as simple as possible and not invite any unnecessary pressure — that’s the only way,” he said in a calm, resassuring tone. Jump to June and readers will surely endorse that he has kept his word. And even gone one better.

Not only has he become the toast of the ICC Champions Trophy with back-to-back centuries and another fluent innings against a potent Pakistan attack under challenging circumstances, but former greats have been left searching for a suitable expression for the impact that his arrival has had on international cricket.

The most ringing endorsement, of course, came from the legendary Kapil Dev, who said he was not feeling the absence of either Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag or Gautam Gambhir thanks to the emergence of Dhawan.

The starts that Dhawan has given India along with the classy Rohit Sharma have been one of the key factors behind the Men in Blue’s effortless performances in the tournament so far.

Surely, from being a frustrated first class cricketer who nearly wanted to quit the game some years back, Dhawan has come a long way. It may be rather presumptuous to say that the fearless quality of his batting reminds one of his favourite Viru “paaji”, but a deconstruction of his technique clearly shows shades of the Nawab of Najafgarh.

The art of keeping things simple, believing that the ball is there to be hit — with perhaps a little more fluency on the leg side and the readiness to hook and pull — have been the hallmarks of the 27-year-old so far.

Right now, Dhawan is at the peak of his form, but the real challenge will come as he spends more time in international cricket. Much like Sehwag, he is a batsman who derives his strength from brilliant hand-eye coordination and tremendous bat-speed — attributes that are great to watch at their peak but can be often transient.

And therein lies the biggest challenge of Dhawan for the future. Sehwag had faced a major confidence crisis once before the current phase, leading to his exit from the team in 2006-07 before he came back ever so strongly.

These are batsmen who like to dictate terms, but then it’s not possible to carve out a Test century in 85 balls every time Dhawan walks out to bat.

It’s those times that will be a real test of character for him. However, if early promise is anything to go by, Dhawan has it in abundance to overcome any such crisis.