Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan is an Indian international player who currently represents Delhi Capitals in the IPL. He is a naturally attacking left-handed batsman who plays as an opener in the side and occasionally bowls right-arm off break. Dhawan plays for Delhi domestically in the Ranji Trophy. This Jatt boy played for the Indian Under-17, Under-19 teams before he started playing first-class cricket for Delhi. He debuted for Delhi in November 2004 and then played the Under-19 2004 World Cup, where he scored a total of 505 runs, which included three centuries.

Shikhar has made and broken many records while playing for India, some of which are listed below:

• He was the leading run-scorer of the team in the 2015 World Cup.
• In the same year, Dhawan also became the fastest Indian player to reach the 3000 ODI runs.
• In December 2017, he became the second-fastest Indian to reach 4000 ODI runs.
• Shikhar Dhawan also holds the record for scoring the most runs in a calendar year in Twenty20 International Cricket, scoring 689 runs in 2018.
• Shikhar Dhawan is the only player to win two consecutive golden bats at the ICC Champions Trophy.
• He holds the record for the highest number of ODI centuries in 2013 by an Indian cricketer record.
• Dhawan is the second fastest Indian to make 4000 ODI runs.
• He is also the first Indian batsman to make 100 runs even before the lunch break on the first day in a test match. It was against Afghanistan on 14th June 2018.
• Dhawan also scored the most number of runs in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and was named the player of the tournament for his efforts.

Test Career and Champions Trophy

The swashbuckling Delhi opener made his test debut in Mohali on 14th March 2013 against Australia in the second test match of the series. Dhawan totally owned the game as he scored 187 runs off 174 balls. Dhawan hit the fastest century on debut off 85 balls and broke Gundappa Viswanath’s record, which he made against Australia in 1969. India won that match and S. Dhawan won the Man of the Match award. Dhawan didn't play the 4th test because he sustained a fracture in the hand while fielding. However, he struggled to perform in other test matches against Australia, South Africa and England.

Shikhar Dhawan has always had a special liking for the Champions Trophy and has basically been unstoppable in the tournament.

• In the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, Dhawan was awarded Man of the Series for making the maximum runs. He scored 114 runs off just 94 balls in the first match against South Africa at a strike rate of 101 and led India to victory. He again scored a century in the 2nd match against the West Indies and ultimately helped India to a title win. He repeated the magic of 2013 in the 2017 edition, playing some incredible knocks. In the three matches he played, Dhawan made 271 runs with a high score of 125 against Sri Lanka, to become the top run-scorer in the tournament again.

ODI Career

Shikhar Dhawan was selected for his first ODI against Australia, but he made his debut in the second match on 28 October at Visakhapatnam. However, he could not utilise the opportunity and lost his wicket for just two runs. But he performed subsequently and made his 13th ODI century in his 100th ODI.

Shikhar Dhawan’s World Cup Performances

Dhawan struggled in tests and ODIs but managed to make a mark in the 2015 ICC World Cup against all odds. He scored 72 runs against Pakistan to help continue India's winning streak against them in ICC tournaments. Then, his glorious batting against Sri Lanka gained immense praise, as he made 137 runs studded with big shots all around the park. Dhawan, along with Rohit Sharma, almost always gave India solid starts. He made 412 runs in the tournament and was number 5th on the highest run-makers’ list.

Dhawan displayed an exhibition of his batting skills in the 2019 World Cup, playing especially well against Australia, where he scored 117 0ff 109 balls despite being hurt and made sure India won the game easily.

Shikhar Dhawan’s Stats

Shikhar Dhawan’s IPL Journey

• He made his IPL debut for Delhi Daredevils(known as now Delhi Capitals) in 2008, and his powerful performances led him to be the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament.
• However, Dhawan was traded by the team management for Ashish Nehra from Mumbai Indians. He continued to play for MI for the next two IPLs.
• He was then bought by Deccan Chargers for $300,000 and played for them in IPL 2011 and 2012.
• The Sunrisers Hyderabad again lapped up Shikhar Dhawan in the auctionafter Deccan Chargers declared bankruptcy and he ended up staying with the team from 2013 to 2018.
• In the 2015 IPL, he made 259 runs in 14 matches. Sunrisers Hyderabad stood in the 6th position in that season.
•  However, it changed in 2016 and SRH won the tournament. Shikhar scored 501 runs in 17 matches at an average of 38.53 and also became the 5th highest run-scorer of the season.
• The 2017 IPL also turned out good for him as he made 479 runs in 14 matches at an average of 36.84 in the tournament.
• In the 2018 auction of the IPL, he was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 5.2 crore, using their right to match card. Dhawan scored 497 runs, but his team lost against CSK team in the finals.
• He was traded to Delhi Capitals for the 2019 season and this year and continues playing with them. His performance in IPL 2019 got him featured in the Cricinfo IPL XI.

Shikhar Dhawan’s Family

His father’s name is Mahendra Pal Dhawan, while his mother’s name is Sunaina Dhawan. He has one younger sister, Shrestha. Ayesha Mukherjee, a former kickboxer, is Shikhar Dhawan’s wife. They got married on 30th October 2010.

He has three kids - Zoravar, Rhea and Aliyah. He has always been a fan of Sachin Tendulkar and Andy Flower, who he considers his idols. He got interested in cricket because of his cousin, who played for Sonnet Club in Delhi,  Personal Details