Shikhar Dhawan burst onto the international arena nine years after his escapades in the Under-19 World Cup in 2004 (505 runs at 84.16). But when the Gabbar of Indian Cricket Team finally arrived, he wasted no balls in cementing his place at the top of India's batting. His flamboyant batting, especially square of the wicket on the off-side, got him lots of runs in the past couple of years.
Dhawan's brief career from 2012 till date has several highlight reels. Here’s a quick flashback of the opener’s best cricketing moments on his 31st birthday.
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#1 187(174) vs Australia, Mohali, 2013
Shikhar Dhawan was named as the third opener in 2013 Vs Australia for the Test series at home. Sehwag was dropped after the first two Tests owing to poor form. And thus ended Dhawan’s long wait of donning the national jersey. On the first day of the third Test at Mohali, Sachin Tendulkar presented him with the India Test cap with the following words - "We have known you as a very gutsy player in domestic cricket, now we hope to see you as a gutsy player in international cricket, so show us some guts."
Sachin’s words were turned into action by the debutant who scored a marauding 187 to become the fastest centurion on Test debut. His innings laced with 33 boundaries, helped India win the Test despite losing a complete day's play to rain.
Here’s the moment when Dhawan became the fastest centurion in Test cricket:
#2 Two awards in Champions Trophy 2013
Shikhar Dhawan's debut innings in Mohali earned him a ticket to England for the Champions Trophy. The Indian team experimented with a new opening pair of Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, an experiment which is reaping benefits till today. Much of India's success in the tournament came from Dhawan's explosive batting at the top of the order. Dhawan scored an 80-ball hundred in the first match against a South African attack that was tailor-made to exploit India's perceived struggle with the short-ball.
Dhawan executed the pull shot at every opportunity, continuing his success with the bat throughout the tournament. He ended with 363 runs in 5 matches at an average of 90.75, winning the golden bat and the Player of the Tournament awards respectively.
#3 Success at the U-19 World Cup
The U-19 World Cup has, over the years, been a portent for many a run machine. Dhawan has 16 centuries and as many as 24 fifties in first-class cricket. But the southpaw enjoyed his moment of fame in the U-19 World Cup. Shikhar Dhawan was the highest scorer in the 2004 U-19 World Cup held in Bangaldesh scoring 505 runs that included three centuries at an average of 84.16
After finding immense success in U19 Cricket, it has been a bumpy ride ever since for the Delhi batsman. After struggling in the limited opportunities that he got in the Indian team, he failed to find a permanent spot for himself until 2012, when Gambhir and Sehwag had lost all form, and Dhawan was having all guns blazing.
#4 248 (150) vs South Africa A, Pretoria, 2013
In August 2013, representing India A, Dhawan recorded the third-highest List A score of all time by scoring 248 off 150 deliveries against South Africa A. Striking at 165, his onslaught included 30 fours and 7 sixes. The southpaw got to his double-century in the 40th over of the game. His flamboyant innings helped India A qualify to the finals of the tri-series which they won against Australia A. The then India A coach Lalachand Rajput exclaimed that he had not seen a better innings in one-day cricket than that one.
#5 100(102) vs Australia, Nagpur, 2013
India had to chase 351 in 50 overs against Australia in order to take the seven-match ODI series to a decider. Dhawan and opening partner Rohit Sharma put on 174 to keep India abreast of the needed run-rate. The left-hander then switched gears to get to his fourth ODI 100 before being dismissed on the very next delivery. Other Indian batsmen ensured that Dhawan's century didn't go wasted as India pulled off their second highest chase.
Here’s wishing Gabbar a happy birthday, and a speedy recovery, both from loss of form and thumb injury.
Also check the 15 best sixes by Shikhar Dhawan in his career:
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