Shikhar Dhawan's poor run makes his place vulnerable ahead of World Cup

New Delhi: Opener Shikhar Dhawan's place in Team India's playing XI is looking in jeopardy as his poor run with the bat continued in the 5th ODI of the tri-series against Australia, which was later washed-out due to rain on Monday.

The southpaw once again got out in a similar fashion as he nicked to the slip cordon off Mitchell Starc's bowling. It was again a similar tale of getting out early in his innings, as he managed to score just eight runs.

It's the third single digit ODI score in a row for the out of sorts Delhi batsman, who has been looking vulnerable since the start of the tour Down Under.

The aggressive batsman had a forgettable Border-Gavaskar Test series, in which he scored a lone half-century in the four-match game and was even dropped for the final Test, due to his poor form.

Critics have started raising serious questions on his batting technique off late. On flat tracks of sub-continent he looks strong and confident but when the ball starts to move both ways and bounce, especially in overseas conditions, he looks uncomfortable.

Now India will play the last league match of the tri-series against England on January 30. The winner of the match will play against Australia in the final. So it might be the last chance for the off-colour batsman to regain his lost form -- only if he gets a chance -- ahead of the most coveted ICC event starting next month.

As the World Cup is schedule to take place in Trans-Tasman nations, where Dhawan has failed to impress with the bat, it won't be a surprise if he doesn't find a place in the playing XI in the marquee event.

As India's experimentation continues in finding the right balance, Dhawan's place could go as Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane may be given the opening job slots.