Gambhir and Dhawan:The comparisons can wait

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.