Graham Gooch doesn't want to write off Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan yet

Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay was India’s most trusted opening pair in Test cricket until just a few months ago. However, with some poor shows in recent times, their Test career seems to be under threat. Young Prithvi Shaw is escalating up the ranks rapidly and seems to have made one opening slot his own after the debut series performance.

Hence, many experts have written off the Vijay-Dhawan duo and want the management to explore the other options as well. However, former English skipper, Graham Gooch has come out in support of this pair. He said that it was too premature to write them off. He also reckons that these two are capable of making a comeback at any given time.

Both have the talent to return to the Test fold

Murali Vijay recently bagged two consecutive ducks in England before facing the axe. It was after this series itself that his partner was also shown the exit doors. However, Shikhar Dhawan continues to regularly feature in the ODI and T20I sides. Gooch noted that batsmen do go through bad patches.

“Look, it’s premature to write off Vijay and Dhawan. Both have the talent to return to the Test fold. Batsmen do go through bad patches. While Shikhar regularly features in ODIs and in T20Is, Vijay has come to be regarded as a one-format batsman. The 34-year-old hasn’t played either an ODI or a T20I for well over three years,” Graham Gooch said in an interview to the Telegraph India.

Gooch also praised Vijay for the brilliant run he has had in county cricket. He thanked him for helping his team, Essex, end third in the Divison one.

“I’m glad you’ve brought this up. Vijay played brilliantly for Essex and, thanks to him, we finished No.3 in Division I of the County Championship (behind Surrey and Somerset). Essex won all three matches that Vijay played in. In five innings, he had one hundred, three 50s and one low score,” Gooch added.

[interaction id=”5bc1d17ad536b73882f95665″]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from India vs West Indies series, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.