Shikhar Dhawan: Cometh the hour, cometh the man

Shikhar Dhawan has scored his 14th ODI hundred in just 105 innings in India's opening match of the ongoing Asia Cup against Hong Kong. With a healthy career average of above 45 as an Indian opener, Dhawan is certainly the man of big tournaments and his statistics back it up.

Although the hundred came against a meek Hong Kong side who lost their ODI status in March (but were granted temporary ODI status for this tournament only), it is just a mere replication of the feats Dhawan has achieved over the years as an Indian opener.

The southpaw announced himself in the global arena at just 19 with a Man of the Series performance scoring 505 runs in the 2004 Under-19 World Cup. But it wasn't until 2010 that he made his debut for the national side against Australia in Visakhapatnam.

3 years later, he hammered 363 runs in the Champions Trophy at a staggering average of 90.75 with two brilliant hundreds and led the Indian cricket team to win the Champions Trophy title after 12 years.

Since then, Dhawan has been a constant in the Indian team. He had feeble outings until 2015 but during the 2015 World Cup, he scored 412 runs in 8 innings in the tournament taking India to the semi-final.

With average performances during the period of 2015 to 2017, he slammed his critics scoring 338 runs in 5 innings with an astonishing average of 67.60 in the 2017 Champions Trophy in England. Dhawan can always be counted on for taking a leading role in the team and has always stepped up whenever the team has needed him in major tournaments.

There has always been some doubt about his overseas performance and questions raised about him scoring only in home conditions, however, he always amplifies his game no matter the opposition and no matter the venue in large tournaments. With many might criticize his selection in overseas Tests because of his white ball form, Dhawan's contribution in the limited formats can never be doubted and has served as a champion for Indian cricket over the years, especially in major tournaments.