Day 1 of the first Test between India and West Indies ended with India sitting pretty at 302 for 4 with their Test skipper, Virat Kohli, scoring a stunning century. Yes, another international match for his country and another ton for this insanely consistent player. He just does not want to stop. And why should he? He is Mr. Consistent for Team India and he continues to be so in the longest format as well. He failed to pass the one-hour test at the nets, introduced by coach Anil Kumble, prior to the start of this series, but his ability to cherish match pressure continued to bring out the best in him. There was another star for the team, whose efforts have been ecliped by Kohli’s brilliance. Shikhar Dhawan, stood rock solid at the crease to bail out India from the early dismissal of Murali Vijay. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs West Indies 2016, 1st Test at Antigua
To be honest, no cricket expert expects much from Dhawan’s willow in Tests. He does not give that impression to shine when he turns up playing for India in whites. His ability to play aggressive cricket and keep on playing his natural game has managed to give him more games than what he deserves. At home, Dhawan looks at ease but throws his wicket after getting into his 30s or 40s. Often it is Murali Vijay on whose shoulders rest the responsibility of providing a steady start to India. He failed in his first outing in the Caribbean to a brilliantly executed short delivery bowled by Shannon Gabriel. Dhawan, looking rusty at the other end, knew he had to up the ante.
What helped Dhawan?
He looked in two minds at the start of the proceedings as the case has been with the left-hander, especially playing in overseas conditions. The West Indian bowlers surely had a plan to bowl the short deliveries against the Indian openers, and they managed to do so by sending Vijay back to the pavilion. Dhawan, to his luck, had a few awkward short deliveries at his disposal but, still, managed to stay unbeaten due to no forward-short-leg fielder in place.
Close-in fielders always put more pressure on Dhawan, and the opposition captain missed a trick by not having any when he was at the crease. Eventually, he edges felt on no man’s land. He played with grit and patience and tried to keep the ball down. This was also noticed in his spectacular century against Bangladesh in 2015.
Playing alongside a batsman such as Kohli, who showed no signs of anxiety and nervousness from ball one, also helped Dhawan play his strokes. This eased the pressure off Dhawan, which was the most essential aspect from India’s perspective. The two added 105 runs for the third wicket.
A lot has been said and written on Dhawan and Rohit Sharma’s Test form. While the latter missed out on the first Test, Dhawan got a nod and made the most out of it. Yes, it was against a mediocre bowling attack. However, mark that he played an innings of substance in home conditions. It should do him a world of good, as he was racing against time, with the in-form KL Rahul eagerly waiting to feature in the playing XI.
He comes up with gem of an innings in colour clothings from time to time, but rarely do we see him playing extraordinary knocks in whites. Like he did in this innings, he should take all the time and play for as long as possible.
What was most commendable was that he played session by session, something Test cricket is all about. Dhawan, one who is unsure of his shots and movement at the start, rescued India from the early loss of Vijay and this should be credited for now, at least.
He needs to continue the stellar show, as India are scheduled to play a long season of Test cricket.
(Aditya Sahayis a journalist with CricketCountry who is completely into sports and loves writing about cricket in general. He can be followed on Twitter at adisahay7)
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