How will one describe the mental status of a talented player who does not get enough opportunities at the international level on account of an established veteran who keeps going strong? It is only the mentally strong ones who manage to tide over the frustrations and disappointments to keep going. In India, we have seen the likes of Rajinder Goel and Padmakar Shivalkar, who despite being outstanding bowlers, could not make the move to Test cricket as Bishan Singh Bedi strode the arena like a colossus, denying them the chance to turn out for India. Both Goel and Shivalkar played for their states so long as their physical condition allowed them to do so. There is also the case of Sadanand Viswanath, a supremely talented wicketkeeper, who had to languish in the background as Syed Kirmani, one of the best stumpers that the country produced, also hailed from the same state. Viswanath, being more impulsive, bid adieu to the game at a relatively early age of 28.
There are also cricketers like Dilip Doshi and Wriddhiman Saha, who managed to don the national colours at the fag end of their careers, as the most productive part of their careers fell under the shadows of Bedi and Mahendra Singh Dhoni respectively. They both had to toil on the domestic cricket circuit for close to a decade before being able to make the cut for a regular place in the national squad in the longest duration version of the game. Doshi and Saha tried to make the best of the limited chances that they got and managed to reach the individual landmarks of 100 wickets and 100 dismissals behind the stumps respectively in extra quick time.
It is only natural for cricketers destined to spend their best years in the sidelines to act as persons in a hurry when the doors of international cricket finally open before them. Shikhar Dhawan, who announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket on Saturday, exemplified this dictum to the hilt. Dhawan was unfortunate in that he was an opening batsman from Delhi who started his career in the early years of this century, when there was a surfeit of top drawer willow-wielders who batted at the top of the order in the national capital. Though Virender Sehwag started as a middle order batsman, he made the transition to opening slot with remarkable ease, while Aakash Chopra and Gautam Gambhir were natural openers. Thus, Dhawan found it extremely difficult even to cement his place in the Ranji Trophy side of his state, despite reaching the senior level with a reputation of being the top scorer in the 2003 edition of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 World Cup. He had to wait for close to nine years after his debut in first-class cricket to make his entry into the rarefied world of Test matches.
Dhawan had an inauspicious beginning in international cricket. He got his first opportunity to play for the country in a One Day-International (ODI) against Australia in October, 2010. But he was dismissed off the very second ball, without a single run to his name. Four further outings in ODIs in 2011 did not enhance his case, despite they being against the relatively weaker West Indies side. He was sent back to the world of domestic first-class cricket, where he languished for another couple of years before a stroke of good fortune came his way.
Sehwag was out of form when Australia came to India in 2013 for a four-Test series. Dhawan was drafted into the squad as the third opener behind Sehwag and Murali Vijay. After Sehwag failed with the bat in the first two Tests, Dhawan was inducted into the playing eleven for the third Test at Mohali. Not only did he grab this opportunity with both hands, Dhawan went on to make history by striking the fastest century on Test debut off 85 balls and went on to score 187 off only 174 balls. Coming to bat on the third day after Australia had posted a first innings total of 408, he and Vijay were involved in an opening stand of 289 runs, which came off only 59.5 overs. This explosive start helped India to not only gain the lead in the first innings, but also gave their bowlers ample time to dismiss the Aussies for 223 in the second outing and set up a six-wicket victory. This win could be achieved in a match that was curtailed to four days only on account of the brisk pace of run scoring by Dhawan and his opening stand with Vijay.
Dhawan continued his good form with the bat during Champions Trophy 2013 held in England, where he scored 363 runs in five matches, which included two centuries. His performance won him the 'Golden Bat' award for highest run-getter and he was also named the player of the tournament. He formed a terrific combination with Rohit Sharma at the top of the order, with the pair being involved in two three figure partnerships.
However, despite this flying start to his career, Dhawan did not show the consistency in Test cricket that would have made critics acknowledge him as a great batsman. There were periods in between when his form dropped steeply and he was made to look ordinary with the bat. This led to him getting dropped from the side on a couple of occasions. Though he always managed to find his way back into the playing eleven, the “reliability factor” always hung like a sword above his head.
There was no denying the fact that Dhawan was sheer magic when he struck form. He demonstrated this to good effect by hitting a century before lunch on the first day of a Test against Afghanistan in June, 2018, thus becoming the first Indian batsman to perform this feat. His knock of 190 against Sri Lanka in the Test at Galle in 2017, which came off only 168 balls, was a brilliant innings that comes to mind for the manner in which toyed with the bowling attack. His century against Australia in the 2019 ICC World Cup, where he carried on batting despite suffering a fracture of his thumb, was another masterpiece. That this injury ruled him from taking further part in this tournament and forced him to return to India showed that Lady Luck did not always shower him with bounties. Incidentally this was his last century for India in ODIs.
Dhawan is one of the seven players who have played in all editions of Indian Premier League (IPL) since its inception. He played for four franchisees - Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) - and also led SRH and PBKS. With 5,784 runs against his name, he is currently the second highest run-getter behind Virat Kohli in the IPL. He was also the first player to score back-to-back centuries in the IPL.
Ironically for a batsman who started his ODI career with a duck and scored a scintillating century on his Test debut, Dhawan will be remembered more for his prowess with the bat in white-ball cricket. He was nicknamed 'Mr ICC' for his ability to come good in tournaments conducted by this body, which included two “Golden Bat” awards in Champions Trophy (2013 and 2017). He was the highest run-scorer for India in the 2015 ICC World Cup. He also holds the record for being the fastest Indian batsman to reach 1000, 2000 and 3000 runs in ODIs. His tally of 2,315 runs from 40 Tests do not do justice to his immense talent even though he played some outstanding innings in the longer version of the game.
Dashing is the word that comes to one’s mind when thinking about this popular cricketer. He exuded tremendous calm and self confidence on the cricket field. His peculiar style of thigh-slapping celebration and the manner in which he twirled his moustache won 'Gabbar' a lot of fan following.
Well played, Dhawan. Best wishes as you step into the second innings of your life.
(The author is a former international cricket umpire and a retired bureaucrat)
