Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan gained popularity after an exceptional performance in the 2004 U-19 World Cup, where he scored 505 runs including 3 centuries. However, due to tough competition, it took him a while to join the Indian team.

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Shikhar Dhawan gained popularity after an exceptional performance in the 2004 U-19 World Cup, where he scored 505 runs including 3 centuries. However, due to tough competition, it took him a while to join the Indian team. Dhawan is a naturally aggressive left-handed opener and has been a key player for the Delhi team for a long time. He forms a strong top-order with Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, scoring runs in abundance. Experts have praised his ability to stay focused and play big innings.

Dhawan’s side-on stance and minimal trigger movement make him a force to be reckoned with on the off-side, particularly with his cuts and drives. His proficiency in playing against spin, attacking by coming down the track, and scoring in important games and tournaments have made him a crucial member of the Indian limited overs team for an extended period. Dhawan is a gifted stroke-player who can quickly determine the line and length of the ball, giving him enough time to position himself for any shot he wants to play.

Following a series of impressive performances in domestic cricket, Shikhar Dhawan made his debut for India against Australia in 2010. Unfortunately, he didn’t make any significant contributions and was often considered a replacement player. However, after Virender Sehwag was controversially dropped from the team, Dhawan was given the opportunity to make his Test debut against Australia in March 2013. To his surprise, he had an incredible start, scoring the fastest ever hundred on debut in just 85 balls and continued to dominate on a slow Mohali pitch. Dhawan still holds the record for the highest score by an Indian on Test debut, scoring an impressive 185 runs before being dismissed in the first innings.

In 2013, Dhawan had an outstanding run of form, particularly in ODIs, and was named the player of the tournament in the ICC Champions Trophy held in June of that year. He scored an impressive 363 runs in just five games, including two centuries. Later that year, during Australia’s tour of India in October, Shikhar Dhawan continued his excellent form, scoring a century and two half-centuries, and finishing with a total of 284 runs in six matches. He carried his good form into the home series against West Indies, ending up as the highest run-scorer for India in the calendar year.

Dhawan’s performance in the Test series against South Africa in 2013 and England in 2014 was disappointing, with his highest score being 37 in six innings. His difficulties with balls outside off were exposed as he committed too early to the line of the ball, failing to account for lateral movement and often chasing the ball. Despite a rather unconvincing 81 in the second innings of the Brisbane Test, Dhawan struggled in Tests and failed to make any significant scores in the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Due to his technical shortcomings, he lost his spot to KL Rahul. However, in limited-overs cricket, where the pitches are more predictable, Shikhar Dhawan continued to thrive.

Despite facing numerous challenges, Shikhar Dhawan began the 2015 World Cup with a remarkable 72 against Pakistan and a magnificent 137 against South Africa at the MCG. He appeared to be a different player, confidently playing all types of shots against bowlers like Morkel and Steyn, and helped his team secure their first World Cup victory over South Africa. Although the pace and bounce of the Australian pitches initially troubled Shikhar Dhawan, the true bounce and lack of lateral movement allowed him to regain his composure and play close to his body. He finished the tournament with an impressive 412 runs. Dhawan and Rohit consistently laid the foundation for three hundred-plus totals with their strong first-wicket partnerships.

Shikhar Dhawan has faced difficulties in maintaining his form in the longer format of the game, with a few minor weaknesses such as poking outside off and playing beside the line of the ball instead of over it. While playing close to his body works well for him in limited-overs cricket, it doesn’t translate as effectively in the longer format due to the parallax error he experiences. This is because he doesn’t get his eyes over the ball while playing it.

Despite his limitations, Shikhar Dhawan has remained India’s go-to man in ODIs and has consistently delivered impressive performances in ICC events, making him a specialist for the big stage in the limited-overs format. His carefree attitude and explosive off-side shots have drawn comparisons with another maverick opener from Delhi. Shikhar Dhawan’s ability to perform at his best during ICC events has made him an almost indispensable asset to the side in limited-overs cricket. This has been a rather theatrical oddity in his career, with the utopian twist of opportune comebacks.

However, as the decade turned, Shikhar Dhawan’s luck began to fade as age and slowing reflexes caught up with him. Despite being named stand-in captain for a few tours when Rohit Sharma was rested, he failed to make a significant impact. His strike rate dipped and he struggled to convert starts into big scores, which ultimately led to Shubman Gill being picked as the ODI opener to pair up with Rohit Sharma. As a result, Shikhar Dhawan was slowly phased out of the team.

IPL through the years

The timing of the Indian Premier League was perfect for Shikhar Dhawan’s cricket career. Although he wasn’t quite a star back in 2008, his credentials as a cricketer were good enough to earn him an IPL contract. Dhawan was selected by Delhi Daredevils and played in a star-studded team alongside Sehwag, Gambhir, de Villiers, Dilshan, and Collingwood. He batted at the crucial number three spot and ended up as the third-highest run-getter with 340 runs in 14 matches.

Delhi made a bizarre decision to let Shikhar go to Mumbai in the next season, which proved to be a disaster for him. He only played 15 matches in two seasons for MI. In 2009, he played 5 matches and averaged 10, and in the next edition, he could only make 191 runs in 10 matches. After two dismal seasons, Dhawan moved to Sunrisers Hyderabad, and that decision transformed his career. He found back his consistency and became one of the key assets for Deccan Chargers first and then for Sunrisers Hyderabad. As a result, he was selected for the Indian team and has since been one of the top performers for India as well as for his IPL franchise.

Before the 2019 IPL auctions, Sunrisers Hyderabad traded Shikhar Dhawan to Delhi in exchange for Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, and Shahbaz Nadeem. This move brought Dhawan back to the Delhi franchise after an 11-year gap. In his first season back, he ended up as the leading run-getter for the Capitals, with five fifties to his name. The 2020 season proved to be even better for Shikhar Dhawan, as he became the second-highest run-scorer in the competition and scored his first IPL ton. He also became the first player in IPL history to record back-to-back hundreds. Shikhar Dhawan’s impressive performances helped DC reach the final, where they were unfortunately beaten by the formidable Mumbai Indians.

Despite remaining the top run-getter for Delhi Capitals in the 2021 season, Shikhar Dhawan’s average dipped slightly and he only managed to score three fifties. As the mega auctions approached, the franchise decided to release Shikhar Dhawan and retain younger players. However, he was the first player picked in the mega auction by Punjab Kings. In the 2022 season, Dhawan struggled to match his previous standards as he transitioned to become more of an anchor player. Despite this, he was still the top scorer for PBKS and was subsequently retained. In fact, he was even made team captain for the next season, with Mayank Agarwal being released.

World Cup through the years

Shikhar Dhawan is known as the ultimate ICC event player, much like the Australian team post the 1999 World Cup. Regardless of his form or merit, he has a unique ability to attain his peak form just before world events. This was evident ahead of the 2019 World Cup, where an incredible IPL season a few months earlier made him the mainstay for the International side.

Shikhar Dhawan started the tournament with a bang, scoring a sensational match-defining hundred against Australia in the group stages despite nursing a finger injury sustained during the match. Unfortunately, that finger injury turned out to be a fracture that ruled him out of the World Cup, with KL Rahul taking over as opener for the rest of the tournament. In India’s 2015 World Cup campaign, Dhawan was the team’s highest run-getter with 412 runs, scoring at an average of over 50. He played two crucial knocks in pressure games against major teams – 137 against South Africa and a useful 73 against Pakistan.

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