Shikhar Dhawan, a former Indian opener, detailed his first meeting with famous skipper MS Dhoni in his book ‘The One: Cricket, My Life, and More’. Under Dhoni, the left-hander made his debut for India in the 2010 home ODI series against Australia.
Shikhar Dhawan had made his Test debut in 2013 against the same opponent in Mohali, with Dhoni as skipper. The 39-year-old helped Dhoni win his third ICC championship as captain and was the top run scorer in India’s 2013 Champions Trophy victory.
In his autobiography, Shikhar Dhawan recalled his initial encounter with Dhoni (via Indian Express):
“I wanted to cast him in a Bollywood movie; he looked like a film star with that long hair and easy smile. We were having a chat about my motivation when I suddenly blurted out, ‘I want to play for India and I want to make you a Bollywood hero!’ He threw back his head and laughed.”
Shikhar Dhawan
Additionally, Dhawan acknowledged feeling anxious the evening before his 2010 India debut, stating:
“Before the first match in Kochi, there was so much nervous energy bubbling inside me that I could not sleep the whole night… But when I got up in the morning, it was raining heavily, and all my hopes turned to nought. No action was possible that day.”
Shikhar Dhawan
“Then, just ahead of the second ODI at Vizag, I took a sleeping pill to soothe my nerves. I thought it was important to sleep well, and I was worried that my performance would suffer if I went through another round of insomnia as I had done on the eve of the first match.”
Shikhar Dhawan
In the second ODI against Australia, Dhawan’s first innings for India did not go as planned; he was removed for a two-ball duck. The southpaw did, however, have a remarkable 12-year international career, amassing 10,867 runs in various forms and 24 hundreds in 269 appearances.
“Narratives took a lot longer to change back in those days” – Shikhar Dhawan on impact of Social Media
Shikhar Dhawan stated that the social media influence was significantly smaller when he joined the Indian team in 2010. He acknowledged that stories about individuals and teams have been shaped and altered overnight by the rise of social media over the years.
“When I was trying to break into the Indian side, social media was still nascent and cricketers were under a lot less scrutiny. But other media platforms – print and broadcast – were thriving. However, unlike the current times in which social media can transform cricketers from ‘hero’ to ‘zero’ almost overnight, narratives took a lot longer to change back in those days, said Dhawan (via the aforementioned source).
Shikhar Dhawan’s Test debut was diametrically opposed to his ODI debut, with the left-hander smashing an incredible 174-ball 187 in his first innings against Australia in Mohali. When India won by six wickets, he was named the Player of the Match.
