Shikhar Dhawan: From dawn and still on

The India A opener had a successful EurAsia series (April-May 2006) scoring (127, 52,1,91,17 ). But he didn’t fare well in the next India A tournament – Top End series as he was asked to bat away from his favoured opening slot, at various other positions ranging from one down to finisher to accommodate Gambhir, Uthappa as openers. Though he started off well with a half century in the first game, he couldn’t repeat his form as the tournament went on.

There was also one four day game when he was asked to open with Pujara only to get dropped for the rest of games. Thanks to his 4 & 15. To his bad luck, his patchy form continued throughout the season scoring just one century and three fifties playing 9 innings each in First class as well as List A. With this relatively terrible 2006-7 Indian domestic season he lost his place in the India A team that participated in a tournament in Zimbabwe Tri Nation series, Sri Lanka and the home series against touring South African A team. [Fun fact: Praveen kumar opened batting in some of those games]

The world famous and recently, much abused English summer once helped him. Or put it this way. He bailed out The Etherley cricket club which apparently approached him on his holiday in Middlesbrough during the big gap in the Indian domestic season. The free stroked batsman gave everything to the club that they still remember him.

“We’ve had some tremendous professionals down the years but he’s the best ever,” observes Hylton Balmer, former player who also adds

“Shikhar has been a real shot-in-the-arm, a lovely man and an absolute fitness fanatic.”

“Always smiling, always talking” refers Dhawan’s spin bowling team-mate from the same club as he smashed the 157 year old club record with an unbeaten 215 in 45 overs and later adding 119 out of 291 partnership in the following game that made Roy Coates, the club Secretary is spell bound and says,

“He must have put a dozen into Dawson Street, I was getting worried about the cars.”

You can read more about his might and Etherley club drooling over him.

He was not a schoolboy anymore. He had mastered the puddle. Now he had a big sea to survive. He had to be brackish to withstand and carry on with the extremely distinct scenario.

He started afresh accepting challenges. That was very much visible as he was a key member in the side’s Ranji trophy win after 16 years in 2007-08 from which his average shooted up as years rolled on.

Though criminally under explained, A simple reference with his first class averages to underline his improvement.

2007-08 – 43.47

2008-09 – 54.70

2009-10 – 64.71

But getting in the hard & often cruel system of Indian cricket & more importantly, belonging there gave Dhawan a tough time. He started fairly early yet he started late. His ODI debut was 6 long years after his U-19 stints & he got bowled by Clint McKay in the second ball of the innings only to be consoled by skipper Dhoni & Raina later. Lets slip into his shoes maybe. Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma from the same U-19 team as his starting to find their feet in the One Day side. All younger.

“From Delhi alone there were players like Gautam Gambhir & Virender Sehwag all ahead of him yet he wasn’t getting a chance. The frustration kept building in & showing in his game,” says his coach Madan Sharma, unable to find his flaws once vanishing out of contention after touring West Indies under Raina after 8 months post his debut.

The selection of Virat Kohli, 4 years younger to Dhawan, as he now says with a hint of a giggle, took him to the thoughts of giving up the game. “He was feeling aloof.” “There is nothing wrong in his game actually, its all in his mind.” Sinha had observed. Shikhar himself recalled, “Am I good enough to play at the international level? I knew I had the talent & of course I was working as hard as someone else but something was missing.”

Those, guys, were the real tough times for India’s newest batting sensation who back then, had set his sights to make it big. Real big.

“He seemed to be in anguish while playing in the domestic circuit in bid to stage a comeback. Dhawan’s despondency during the Ranji matches over the last few seasons indicated his turmoil within. He was working hard but runs were hard to come by. So what was missing? It was difficult for either his coach or his mentor or himself to determine.”