Cricketers wish Shikhar 'Gabbar' Dhawan on his 31st birthday

A lionhearted cricketer who wears his heart on his sleeve, Shikhar Dhawan carries a zealous, energetic vibe every time he comes to bat. Unbothered by the situation or opposition, “Gabbar” has developed his game around his strengths, maximizing his potential without letting go of his natural happy-go-lucky outlook, be it on the field, or off it.

He made his first-class debut in 2004, yet it took Shikhar Dhawan a further nine years to start his Test journey. And boy, what a start it was! His 187 against Australia at Mohali in 2013 describes Dhawan to the hilt: brash, aggressive, “bindaas”!Since then, Dhawan has established himself as a vital part in all three formats, although injuries have slowed him down in the last few months. A crowd’s favourite, Dhawan apes his senior fellow state-man Virender Sehwag’s style of batting in Tests, providing blazing starts that perfectly compliment Murali Vijay’s sombre strokes. On the occasion of his 31st birthday, he received several wishes on Twitter, including some by his teammates and fellow cricketers. Here are a few, compiled into a list:

Suresh Raina

Happy birthday @SDhawan25 have a great year ahead brother pic.twitter.com/dwxos4WcpV

— Suresh Raina (@ImRaina) December 5, 2016

Irfan Pathan

Happy birthday shera @SDhawan25 have a good year ahead

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) December 5, 2016

Gautam Gambhir

Happy Birthday @SDhawan25 ! Have a blessed year ahead and hope to see you scoring tons of runs. Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/qiYgBX6C56

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) December 5, 2016

Ajinkya Rahane

Wish you a very happy birthday jatt ji @SDhawan25 god bless

— ajinkyarahane88 (@ajinkyarahane88) December 5, 2016

Harbhajan Singh

Wishing a wonderful birthday to my brother @SDhawan25! Enjoy your day! #ChakDeJatta!! pic.twitter.com/k7cch7rS94

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) December 5, 2016

Anil Kumble

Happy birthday @SDhawan25! Hope the coming year is a wonderful one!

— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) December 5, 2016

Manoj Tiwary

Wish u a very Happy Birthday @SDhawan25 Keep smiling and hope your year is filled with loads of moments to cherish.

— Manoj Tiwary (@tiwarymanoj) December 5, 2016

Parvinder Awana

Many many happy returns of the day Jatt ji @SDhawan25. God bless you and may you enjoy all the happiness & success in the years to come.

— Parvinder Awana (@ParvinderAwana) December 5, 2016

Rohit Sharma

Many many happy returns partner @SDhawan25 have a great day https://t.co/Y9yoqHt08w

— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) December 5, 2016

Yuvraj Singh

Wishing jatt ji many happy returns of the day ! God bless you gabbar @SDhawan25

— yuvraj singh (@YUVSTRONG12) December 5, 2016

Virender Sehwag

Happy Birthday @SDhawan25 .May you do Bhoomi Poojan in dressing room and Naagin Dance on pitch for atleast 2 hours every time while batting pic.twitter.com/E3UoUTVrkR

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) December 5, 2016

As a bonus, here’s a small compilation of Dhawan’s 15 best sixes in the game: