Gambhir and Dhawan:The comparisons can wait

We in India simply love to compare. We compare our cars, our houses, our children, and would rather like to, our bank balances too. So it is quite natural and acceptable, when these comparisons transcend the barriers of our personal lives and tread into the territory of sportsmen.

We compare eras when we match up Tendulkar with Bradman; we compare age when we talk of Sindhu and Saina and we compare distinct styles when we compare Kumble to Warne, there’s hardly anyone who gets left out. Irrespective of how old or new you are, you must be ready to be compared even if your most inherent wish is to establish a distinct identity of yourself. Hence, when the upcoming India international, Shikhar Dhawan, is touted as a possible replacement to Gautam Gambhir, the comparisons starkly present themselves, and bring with them a whole lot of baggage that this young lad surely doesn’t need, leave alone deserve.

Gambhir and Dhawan are left-handers, represent Delhi in the Ranji Trophy and are openers. The similarities don’t just end there , but extend to their penchant for aggressive batting and love for stepping out of the crease to hit bowlers over cover or extra-cover. It’s quite obvious that pundits find this to be a marvelous opportunity to rush into declaring Dhawan as Gambhir’s replacement, not understanding that by doing so they are creating a two-fold problem. Firstly, it is raising the public expectations on Dhawan and not allowing the youngster an easy transition into the international arena and secondly, it is writing off the comeback possibility of one of the better players in Indian cricket’s history.

At the threshold of thirty, Gautam Gambhir has had a forgetable 2013. He was dropped from the Indian Test setup, called up as a replacement for the final Test, only to be hit by a bad bout of sickness. An ODI ouster followed – all of which was contrasting to that of Shikhar Dhawan’s fortunes. The mustachioed run-machine hammered an Australia attack during his debut Test innings at Mohali and on his ODI comeback, scored a match-winning hundred at Cardiff to push the formidable South Africans out of the game. And on both occasions, he was filling in the shoes of Gambhir at the top of the order.

For those who have followed Indian cricket, Shikhar Dhawan is an old name, having shot into the scene in 2004 during the U-19 World Cup at Dhaka. It’s been years of struggle and consistent piling up of runs in domestic cricket that has brought him this close to a regular place in the India setup. And if there’s anyone who understands the value of that place, it is Gambhir, who has had his own share of bad luck and frustrations till he could actually get that coveted opener’s slot. To give him fair credit, he had done a reasonably good job as an opener in both formats till early 2012.

The first big issue might be the comparison and replacement theories. However, the second big problem that stems out of all of this is the consequence. Like I said earlier, Dhawan is hardly ten internationals old; he has played a few games in the West Indies and one in England. He played just one innings of breathtaking Test match cricket after which he got injured and couldn’t take part any further. If one looks at it objectively, Dhawan hasn’t been tested in stormier seas for us to judge so quickly. And we have seen in the past that a few quality innings can well be an aberration like in the case of Vinod Kambli, who possessed the talent to notch up double hundreds at will, but lacked the temperament to last. We have seen over the last four years how immensely talented Rohit Sharma has displayed his abilities only in spurts and never on a consistent basis. Agreed, that Dhawan has done his bit during the IPL and domestic tournaments, but his record with the India ‘A’ team, which is supposed to be the second XI of the national cricket team, has been average on overseas tours.

The IPL, despite its foreign quotient, can never be an ideal benchmark to judge a performer because you rarely face the likes of Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn bowling in tandem, like the case will be in international matches. There’s always going to be a good bowler from one end and a mediocre bowler who can be hit for runs from the other end. Hence, the IPL might just be one of the tests, but surely, not the only test.

This is where it is critical to understand that by comparing a newcomer with a tested pro like Gambhir, we are downplaying the latter’s achievements as an India international and affecting his confidence at the same time. Public memory is short, but we still shouldn’t forget that marathon innings at Napier, those match-winning knocks during World Cup finals (ODI & T20) and that string of big scores between 2009 and 2010. Gautam Gambhir is undoubtedly a proven asset to any Indian team and, at present, the focus should be to find a place for him in the India XI (on the condition that he scores runs in the domestic circuit) so that Indian cricket can get the best out of him in the coming years.

My idea is not to take a pro-Gambhir or an anti-Dhawan stance, it is to point out that at times we rush into making statements that don’t quite add up in the near future. Let us not land up in a situation where all we do is to mention possible replacements by raking up unneeded comparisons – Dhawan will replace Gambhir, Tom will replace Dhawan and Harry will replace Tom. It’s never ending, and at a level, quite depressing. Time will come when younger players will carve a niche for themselves and be remembered. Till then, we don’t need to forcefully make them replace names that served us so diligently over the years. Let players be where they are at present, the comparisons can wait.