Shikhar Dhawan: Part of the Pillars of Indian Cricket Career and Impact

Shikhar Dhawan is more known as ‘Gabbar’ in the cricket fraternity, is one of the most successful players in the Indian cricket team in the International circuits. However, the good-looking man with a thick mustache and a perpetual smile on his face is the present fundamental player of the Indian cricket team, Dhawan. In this article, you think about what Shikhar Dhawan and his activities throughout his childhood and up to where he is now considered as an icon of Indian cricket team.

shikhar dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan

The Life history and Achievement of Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan, the stylish and ever-smiling cricketer has been featuring for India for more than a decade now. For the new comer Dhawan has been a very consistent performer with the ability of coming good at the crucial juncture that makes him one of the safest bets for an opening batsman in the today’s cricket. He has established himself as a popular figure with regards Indian cricket mainly due to his performances both on the international and on the domestic circuit.

Shikhar Dhawan : Early Life and Background

He was born on 5 December 1985 in Delhi, India to Punjabi parents. His early years were very much entrenched in Delhi’s liveliness of cricketingштwhich played a big deal in his development. Dhawan a demonstrated an early fascination with cricket and was a member of the elite Sonnet Club in Delhi, coached by Tarak Sinha.

Of the four children, Dhawan was definitely the most talented and more than once he would outperform the others. But his journey was not devoid of some challenges though. Cricket in India was a highly competitive affair and this is why Dhawan could invest a lot of effort in order to establish himself. Though he had to struggle a lot due to which he had to work extremely hard, he was fortunate enough to get an opportunity to build his career in cricket.

Shikhar Dhawan : Rise to Prominence

Dhawan’s journey to the Indian cricket team started from the domestic cricket especially the Ranji Trophy which is India’s domestic cricket competition. His steady performances created for him a name on the lips of selectors and he was soon in the consideration list for national teams.

He got his big bowling break when Sri Lanka was playing in the 2004 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. For this performance, he was selected to the Delhi Ranji team and from this point, one can say that Dhawan flew into reckoning. His innate flair for making big scores game after game made him a great performer in domestic cricket.

Shikhar Dhawan : International Debut

Protegé Shikhar Dhawan earned his first international cap in an ODI match against Australia in the year 2010. Still, it was in the Test cricket that he really made others sit up and take notice of him. In only 15 Test matches, Dhawan had scored 2487 Test runs up to March 2014 and 2000 of those have come in the seaming conditions of foreign pitches.

This performance was typical of Dhawan’s initial journey in international cricket. Due to his forceful batting talent which also let him to build the innings he was very useful for the Indian side. He has gradually grown as one of India’s key players in the longer format of the game, especially in one-day internationals and T20s.

Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan announces retirement from all cricket

Shikhar Dhawan : Career Highlights

Looking at the career graph of Dhawan the man has a number of milestones and achievements to his credit. In the one-day internationals, he has been a real hard hitter of the ball and is a centurion several times over. His combinations with Rohit Sharma on the top of the order have been successful for India particularly in limited overs format.

One has seen how in Test cricket, Dhawan’s aggressive style of play has put the rivals on the back foot. His innings in the 2013 Test against Australia has still fresh in memory and was one of the best from any Indian cricketer. Also, Dhawan has experience in ICC events, and the batsmen has been consistent throughout his career in playing for the Indian team.

Shikhar Dhawan ICC Tournaments

ICC tournaments have seen the best of Shikhar Dhawan, Dhawan has been exceptional in these tournaments. He was the top scorer of the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy where India emerged champions. Indeed, his consistency to especially perform well in big matches has earned him a place amongst the most reliable cricketer in the Indian team.

Again in 2015 ICC World Cup, Dhawan was among the top run scorer who played some very chief knocks and took India into the semis. This ability has made him end the game and make crucial scores in the middle of pressure-laden matches giving him the big-match man tag.

Shikhar Dhawan : Batting Style and Technique

Dhawan’s style of play is often packed with aggression and most importantly he tends to take the bowler on from the start. He is a strong hitter who favours the off-stick and a man who possesses the mentality of a big hitter against fast bowlers. Dhawan’s chance is a mix of conventional and contemporary form hence making him a mid-innovative batsman.

Still, like any player, Dhawan does not avoid difficulties; he has faced his fair share of them. The fact that he has not been good against deliveries that are outside the off-stump has been a subject of discussion among analysts. However, the negatives do not hold true for Dhawan and the Indian batsman has strived to making changes and getting better each time he goes out to bat.

Contribution in Indian Cricket Team

Add to this the fact that Dhawan has some responsibilities beyond being an opener for the Indian cricket team. Leadership skills, experience and seniority also make him earns the status of senior person in the dressing room. Although he has not been a regular captain, Dhawan has led the Indian team in the shorter format of the game particularly One Day Internationals on a number of times to prove his captaincy skills.

One might consider Pujara’s recent spouse like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli effective in India’s accomplishment in the past five years. Dhawan deservingly has been a main-stay of the Indian team’s top order since the World Cup owing to his major trait of playing a anchoring knock in the power play while keeping the rate charged up.

Shikhar Dhawan : Challenges and Comebacks

It has not all been rosy for Dhawan, his career being one that has had a fair share of bendings and twists. He has had several setbacks which have made required him to take time off the field. However, time and again, Dhawan has risen from the occasions and shown great fighting spirit.

It was during this event that he once suffered an injury in the thumb in one of the matches, which he later served a strong comeback in 2019 . However, Dhawan did not give up and he came back to the playing the field with even more strength and he has been again included the Indian team.

Shikhar Dhawan : Personal Life

Apart from the cricket ground, Shikhar Dhawan is indeed a smiling personality with the best view on life. He is married to Ayesha Mukherjee and they have a son Zoravar. For his part, Dhawan is also thex step father to two children, both daughters, that Ayesha has from her previous marriage.

Dhawan has many interests apart from cricket, and he likes music, as well as physical training and workouts. He is also sympathetic to the needy and often volunteers in projects that seek to support the destitute kids.

Shikhar Dhawan

The impact of Shikhar Dhawan on the young generation cricketers

Thus, the impact of Dhawan is not restricted to the on-field performances only. Many young cricketers regard him as their role model whom they can turn for advice. His rise from domestic level to international level cricket is example for every young cricketer in the country.

Dhawan has been known to mentor young players, occasionally imparting on them some insights of the real world of professional cricket. That shows the other aspect of being a senior player and being totally responsible for carving young talent in Indian cricket.

Brand Endorsements and Commercial Success

Shikhar Dhawan’s on field performance is also helping him do wonders off the field and that is commercially too. He is one of the most sought after sports personalities in India and has many affiliations with brands. Nike, Lays, MRF are some of the brands with which Dhawan has endorsed products and services.

He is also active in social media platforms, whereby he is highly followed by his fans. Dhawan’s friendly personality and easy-going disposition makes him quite popular with the public as well as the sponsors.

Legacy and Future Prospects

Shikhar Dhawan is going to remain a crucial asset to Indian cricket team and that said, his place in the documentation of the sport has already been reserved. He is one of the most successful and nationally acclaimed opening batsmen in the history of Indian cricket; his contribution is huge.

In the future, especially during the big events, experience and skills of Dhawan will be up to par in benefit of Indian team. Although he might be approaching the twilight years of his career, Dhawan by all means remains determined and loyal to his team.

Conclusion

There are various occasions that have claimed that Shikhar Dhawan has stepped into the arena of cricket with higher efforts and determination. Even though Dhawan is relatively new to the cricketing scene, his outstanding performance from his early days in Delhi right up to the Indian team has been marked. To sum up, his performance as a cricketer as well as a person should be an example for imitation for those who want to become cricketers as well as for fans. While going on serving the Indian cricket, his era is going to set newer benchmarks which new comers have to achieve.

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