Where does Shikhar Dhawan rank in the list of left handed batting greats for India in ODI cricket?

Amidst the trailblazing audacity of Prithvi Shaw and the nonchalance of Ishan Kishan, there was a 35-year-old veteran who did his job quietly in the recently concluded ODI series between India and Sri Lanka. Shikhar Dhawan played his part with the willow in India’s victory over their neighbours, and ticked off an important personal milestone in ODI cricket on the way as well.

In the first ODI between India and Sri Lanka, Dhawan went past the 6000-run mark in ODI cricket and became the 10th Indian batsman to do so. And, at this juncture, there arises an important question. And that is, where does Shikhar Dhawan rank in the list of greatest left-handed batsmen who have wielded the willow for India in ODI cricket?

Yes, when the names of the greatest Indian left-handers are discussed, Sourav Ganguly’s name will surely be thrown into the discussion. Ganguly dismantled bowling attacks in his heydays with flair and is currently the 3rd highest run-scorer for the Indian side in ODIs. Some might feel that Yuvraj Singh’s flamboyance made him a visual treat.

So, in this article, let us pit Shikhar Dhawan against some of the greatest left-handed willow wielders produced by India in ODI cricket. We will crunch a lot of numbers here which will provide a lot of conclusions as well. So, we shall get started and compare Dhawan’s numbers against all the left-handed Indian batsmen who have scored 5000 or more runs in ODI cricket.

The overall picture: Shikhar Dhawan versus other left-handed batting behemoths

To start with, let us compare Shikhar Dhawan’s overall record in ODI cricket with the records of every left-handed Indian batsman to have scored 5000 or more runs in ODIs. The batsmen who qualify for the comparison apart from Dhawan are, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, and Gautam Gambhir. The table below will reflect the overall records of these 5 batsmen in ODIs.

Note: Only the innings played by these batsmen for India has been taken into consideration

From the above table, we can clearly see that Shikhar Dhawan holds the edge over the other batting greats. Only 2 out of the 5 batsmen in the above list average above 40, and they are Sourav Ganguly and Dhawan. And, Dhawan averages 4.60 more than Ganguly.

Also, Dhawan is the only batsman in the list to have an innings per fifty-plus score ratio of less than 3. He records a fifty-plus score once every 2.84 innings for India in ODIs, and the next best is Gautam Gambhir, who scores a fifty-plus score once every 3.17 innings. Clearly, Dhawan is ahead of the other batsmen at this point in terms of their overall record in ODI cricket.

How do India’s left-handed batting greats fare away from home shores?

So, let us now go a little deeper, and analyze the numbers of these five Indian batsmen away from home. The table below will reflect the same.

Note: Only the innings played by these batsmen for India has been taken into consideration

From the above table, we can see that Shikhar Dhawan and Gautam Gambhir are the only two batsmen who average above 40 in away shores for India in ODIs. While Dhawan comfortably boasts of the best averages of 46.19 among the five batsmen in the above list, Gambhir averages a healthy 41.55.

Also, Dhawan and Gambhir are the only batsmen who have an innings per fifty-plus score ratio of less than 3. Both of them record a fifty-plus score once every 2.97 innings played in away ODIs. So, from the above table, we can see that Dhawan has produced the best numbers in away matches for India in ODIs.

Records of Shikhar Dhawan and other left-handed batting greats in a win for India

Gautam Gambhir’s 97 in the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka is immortalized in Indian cricketing folklore. His magical knock allowed India to experience arguably their greatest cricketing moment of the new millennium and helped the Indian side lift the fifty-over World Cup in 2011. Similarly, Sourav Ganguly’s 183 in the 1999 World Cup against Sri Lanka is still remembered with fondness by Indian fans, as it resulted in a crushing 157-run win for India.

Definitely, scoring runs in a winning cause is a special feeling for any batsman. In the table below, let us analyze the records of these five great Indian batsmen in a win for India in the ODI format of the game.

Note: Only the innings played by these batsmen for India has been taken into consideration

The above table reveals that Sourav Ganguly boasts of the best average among the left-handed batsmen in a win. The ‘Prince of Calcutta’ scored 6818 runs for India in a win in ODIs and scored his runs at an excellent average of 54.98. Also, Ganguly recorded a fifty-plus score once every 2.50 innings in a win.

The batsman with the next best average among these left-handers is Shikhar Dhawan. Dhawan has scored over 4000 runs for India in a win and has scored them at an average of 52.44. His innings per fifty-plus score ratio in a win for India is marginally better than that of Ganguly’s, as he notches up a fifty-plus score once every 2.37 innings in ODI cricket. Suresh Raina has the worst innings per fifty-plus score ratio in a win for India, notching up a fifty-plus score once every 3.24 innings in a win, while Gautam Gambhir averages the least (46.85) among these left-handers in a win. In this metric, even though Ganguly holds a slight edge over others, Dhawan is not far behind.

Records in a win away from Home: Shikhar Dhawan pitted against other left-handed batting greats

Now, let us come to another important parameter. And that is the contributions of these batsmen in a win away from home for India. The table below will elucidate the same.

Note: Only the innings played by these batsmen for India has been taken into consideration

The above table reveals that 4 out of India’s five left-handed batting greats average above 50. Sourav Ganguly averages the highest (55.80) and is also the only batsman to have scored more than 4000 runs in a win for India away from home. Also, Ganguly has scored 14 centuries in a win away from home, and Dhawan holds the second spot, having scored 9 tons.

When innings per fifty-plus scores in a win away from home are looked at, Gautam Gambhir comes out on top. Gambhir scored a fifty-plus score once every 2.27 innings in a win for India away from home. Ganguly and Dhawan are not far behind though, having notched up a fifty-plus score once every 2.45 innings and 2.52 innings respectively.

Records in World Cup Cricket: Shikhar Dhawan versus the rest

Now, let us come to the ‘Big Daddy’ of them all. The grandest stage that the ODI format can ever offer is the ODI World Cup. Let us analyze the numbers of these five batting greats in World Cup cricket for India.

In World Cup cricket, 4 out of these five batsmen average in excess of 50. Sourav Ganguly clearly holds the edge over the other batsmen. He is the only batsman to have scored over 1000 World Cup runs among these 5 batsmen and has also plundered 4 centuries as well. Even though Suresh Raina might average slightly better than Ganguly, the fact that Ganguly has played more than double the number of innings played by Raina and has still managed to maintain amazing consistency tilts the scale in his favour.

Shikhar Dhawan has performed well in World Cup cricket. He averages 53.70 and has scored 3 centuries in 10 innings in World Cup cricket. Dhawan is nearing 36, and might possibly have one last shot at featuring in another World Cup in the year 2023. But as of now, it is the ‘Prince of Calcutta’, Sourav Ganguly who reigns supreme in World Cup cricket.

Records of Shikhar Dhawan and other left-handed batting behemoths in a run chase in ODIs

Now, let us come to the final parameter. And that is the records of these five batsmen in a run chase for the Indian side in the ODI format of the game. The table below will reflect the same.

Note: Only the innings played by these batsmen for India has been taken into consideration

When the records in an ODI run chase are analyzed, we find that Gautam Gambhir holds a slight advantage over the other willow wielders. Gambhir averages the highest among the five left-handers (45.48), and also has the best innings per fifty-plus score ratio (2.88) as well. In fact, Gambhir is the only batsman in the above list who has an innings per fifty-plus score ratio of less than 3.

Shikhar Dhawan is not far behind either. He averages 44.40 in an ODI run chase, which is just 1.08 lesser than Gambhir. Also, while Gambhir took 2.88 innings to notch up a fifty-plus score in an ODI run chase, Dhawan took 3.33 innings. Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh have the worst record among the five batsmen.

Raina averages 38.66 in a chase, while Yuvraj averages just 36.31 in a run chase. Raina also took as many as 5.83 innings to notch up a fifty-plus score as well in a chase. And, Dhawan will still have a chance to improve his record in ODI run chases, and there is every chance that he might eclipse Gambhir since the difference between the two batsmen is negligible.

The Final Word

Shikhar Dhawan is surely not the greatest left-handed batsman for the Indian side in ODI cricket at the moment. Although Dhawan might be ahead of the other left-handed batsmen in terms of his overall record and his record away from home, Sourav Ganguly pips Dhawan when the records in a win and in World Cup cricket are analyzed.

And, as far as the numbers in an ODI run chase are concerned, Gambhir has generated better numbers than Dhawan. And as of now, the crown for the greatest Indian left-handed batsman still belongs to Sourav Ganguly due to his longevity and consistency.

Dhawan is over 35 years old, but still has some more gas left in the tank. And, he will get more opportunities in the future to improve his ODI numbers in various conditions. And, if Dhawan can rake in the runs in the future as well, he will surely end up as the second greatest left-handed batsman for India in ODIs after Sourav Ganguly.

Note: All the stats have been taken from Cricinfo and Howstat cricket and have been updated as on 25th July 2021