Shikhar Dhawan ensured that the world stood up and took notice of him when he smashed his way to the fastest hundred in Test cricket as a debutant. Playing against Australia in Mohali in 2013, Dhawan, playing his ninth year of First-Class cricket, impressed everyone with his stroke play and flair as he opened the innings alongside Murali Vijay.
A flamboyant personality with an excellent cover drive, Dhawan rose to the ranks with a successful Under 19 World Cup campaign in 2003 – 2004. He ended with the Player of the Series award for his 505 runs at an average of above 84. His love affair with ICC events began from there. Since then, the left-hander had done exceptionally well in all ICC events that he had taken part in, including the Champions Trophy in 2013, the 2015 World Cup, the Champions Trophy in 2017 and the World Cup in 2019, before an injury ruled him out of the event in England.
Dhawan, however, did not have the greatest start to his senior career, with Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, Dhawan’s Delhi teammate, annihilating rivals as an opening pair. Destiny opened up in favour of Dhawan, though, as both openers lost form drastically in quick succession, which forced the selectors to give him a chance. Thus, with 5679 First Class runs to his name already, Dhawan made his debut against Australia, scoring 187 runs off 174 deliveries to lay a solid foundation for India’s win. Since then, Dhawan has formed a formidable opening pair with Rohit Sharma, and the two continue opening the innings in the ODI format.
Not the most prolific T20 batsman, Dhawan proved that he can still be a match-winner in the shortest format. He became the first-ever cricketer to smash successive hundreds in the Indian T20 domestic league last season, where he opened the innings for the Delhi team. He ended the season with a whopping 618 runs – his highest ever tally in a single edition of the league. Overall, Dhawan has scored more than 450 runs in the edition on six occasions, including the last five years. He has turned out for four teams overall in his career – Deccan Chargers (now defunct), Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. He had briefly captained the Hyderabad team as well in 2014. Dhawan was also part of the winning 2016 Hyderabad team led by David Warner.
Shikhar Dhawan’s Personal Details Table
| Full Name | Shikhar Dhawan |
| Born | 5 December 1985 |
| Birth Place | New Delhi |
| Height | 5’10” |
| Role | Opening Batsman |
| Batting Style | Left Handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-Arm Offbreak |
Batting Stats & Records
| Format | M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | BF | SR | 50 | 100 | 200 | 4s | 6s |
| T20 League | 176 | 175 | 24 | 5197 | 106* | 34.41 | 4096 | 126.87 | 41 | 2 | 0 | 591 | 108 |
| ICC – T20 | 65 | 63 | 3 | 1673 | 92 | 27.88 | 1313 | 127.41 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 182 | 49 |
| ICC – ODI | 140 | 137 | 7 | 5906 | 143 | 45.43 | 6292 | 93.86 | 31 | 17 | 0 | 738 | 71 |
| Test Match | 34 | 58 | 1 | 2315 | 190 | 40.61 | 3458 | 66.94 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 316 | 12 |
Recent Matches
| Team | Opposition | Ground | Bat & Bowl |
| India | vs England | Pune | 98 |
| India | vs England | Ahmedabad | 4 |
| Delhi | vs Rajasthan | Jaipur | 44 |
| Delhi | vs Maharashtra | Jaipur | 153 |
| Delhi | Vs Himachal Pradesh | Jaipur | 0 |
| Delhi | Vs Puducherry | Jaipur | 6 |
| Delhi | Vs Mumbai | Jaipur | 0 |
| Delhi | Vs Haryana | Mumbai | 0 |
| Delhi | Vs Kerala | Mumbai | 77 |
| Delhi | Vs Andhra | Mumbai | 5 |
Interesting Facts about Shikhar Dhawan
The left-handed opener, also named ‘Gabbar’ by his fans, has given his team thrilling starts due to his aggressive approach and fearlessness. Dhawan had contemplated leaving cricket for good after his prolonged disappointment at not playing for the national team despite scoring runs in domestic cricket. However, once he got his chance, Dhawan ensured that he grabbed it with both hands and has become a vital member of Team India ever since. Here are some interesting and little known facts about the Delhi player.
- Shikhar Dhawan had started his career as a wicketkeeper. The youngster honed his skills under renowned coach Tarak Sinha at the Sonnet Cricket Club, where a number of players such as Atul Wasan, Manoj Prabhakar, Ashish Nehra and Aakash Chopra had honed their skills. Sinha asked Dhawan to focus on his batting after he had scored a hundred in an Under 15 tournament when he was 12 years old.
- Dhawan played for India Masters alongside former players even before he made his international debut. In May 2005, he turned out for the team in a Tsunami Relief Tournament in Abu Dhabi, but was dismissed for zero in both games, dismissed off Lasith Malinga and Abdul Razzaq.
- Dhawan was picked up by the Delhi team in the 2008 edition of the Indian T20 League but was traded with Ashish Nehra of the Mumbai franchise. Dhawan represented the Mumbai team in 2009 and 2010.
- The player did not have the best ODI debut as he was bowled by Clint McKay for a duck off two deliveries when he played against Australia in 2010. However, he was to erase the memories of the dismal outing with a historical Test debut.
How will Shikhar Dhawan’s Stats help you in Fantasy Cricket?
Shikhar Dhawan has been a match-winner for various teams over the course of his 14-year long professional career. Be it for Delhi in domestic cricket, Team India, or various teams in the Indian T20 domestic league, Dhawan has ensured that he has given his team aggressive starts. The 35-year old, thus, will be a vital part of the MPL fantasy Cricket team in the upcoming edition of the Indian T20 domestic league, and his stats will help you pick the player on your side. He is one of the top run-scorers in the tournament and had a memorable season last year, where he became the first player to smash successive centuries in the history of the league. With the T20 World Cup scheduled to be held later this year, Dhawan will be eager to impress and grab onto his chances, which further makes him a must-have in your MPL team.
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