Shikhar Dhawan burst onto the international scene nine years after his exploits in the Under-19 World Cup in 2004 (505 runs at 84.16). But when he finally arrived, he wasted no time in cementing his place at the top of India's batting. His aggressive batting, especially square of the wicket on the off-side, has gotten him loads of runs in the last couple of years. On his 29th birthday, here's a look at five of his memorable innings.
187(174) vs Australia, Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, 2013
Shikhar Dhawan scored the fastest century on Test debut at Mohali © kareem
In the Indian summer of 2013, nine years after his exploits in the Under-19 World Cup, Shikhar Dhawan was named as the third opener, behind Virender Sehwag and Murali Vijay, in the Indian Test Squad for the home series against Australia. Sehwag was dropped after the first two Tests owing to poor form without a replacement. On the first day of the third Test at Mohali, Sachin Tendulkar presented a moustached Shikhar Dhawan, the India Test cap with the following words - "We have known you as a very gutsy player in domestic cricket, now we hope to see you as a gutsy player in international cricket, so show us some guts." And guts, he showed. En route his marauding 187, Dhawan became the fastest centurion on Test debut (85 balls) and beat Gundappa Vishwanath's long-held record of the highest score by an Indian batsman on Test debut (137). His innings laced with 33 boundaries, helped India set up a Test win despite losing a complete day's play to rain.
114(94) vs South Africa, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff 2013
Shikhar Dhawan celebrates after getting to his hundred against South Africa © kareem
Shikhar Dhawan's blistering debut innings in Mohali got him a ticket to England for the Champions Trophy. India experimented with a new opening combination of Dhawan and Rohit Sharma and reaped instant benefits. Much of India's success in the tournament was down to Dhawan's explosive batting at the top of the order. In the first match of the tournament against South Africa, Dhawan scored an 80-ball hundred against a South African attack that was orchestrated to exploit India's perceived weakness against the short-ball. He played the pull shot at every opportunity and forced the Proteas pacemen to recheck their strategy. His success with the bat continued throughout the tournament. He ended with 363 runs in 5 matches at an average of 90.75 and won the golden-bat and the Player of the Tournament awards.
100(102) vs Australia, Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur, 2013
Shikhar Dhawan(R) and Rohit Sharma formed a formidable combination at the top of the order © kareem
India had to chase 351 in 50 overs to take the seven-match ODI series against Australia to a decider. India had already chased down 359 earlier in the series and the ODI rules and a flat Nagpur track conspired to hand India an opportunity to chase the total down. Dhawan and opening partner Rohit Sharma put on 174 to keep India abreast of the required run-rate. He then switched gears to get to his fourth ODI century before falling the very next delivery. Virat Kohli and the other Indian batsmen ensured that Shikhar Dhawan's efforts didn't go wasted as India pulled off their second highest chase. Incidentally all of Dhawan's six ODI centuries have resulted in wins for India.
115(211) vs New Zealand, Eden Park, Auckland, 2014
Shikhar Dhawan cuts en-route his 115 at Auckland © kareem
Shikhar Dhawan's second Test hundred took some time. Since the home ODI series against Australia in October-November 2013, he hit a rough patch of form in the home series versus West Indies and the series in South Africa. In the preceding ODI series in New Zealand he notched scores of 32,12,28 and 9 in the four games he played. And after a duck in the first innings of the first Test in Auckland, things weren't looking bright for him. In the second innings, he produced an innings of great restraint. Chasing 406 for a win, India looked to be in the reckoning with Dhawan and Virat Kohli taking calculated risks. Such was his desire to get to the three-figure mark, he took off his helmet prematurely and had to be reminded by his partner that he was still on 99. He duly dispatched the next ball for four before soaking in the applause. His dismissal however meant that India fell 40 short of a famous chase. Dhawan also became the first Indian opener to score a 4th innings century in an away Test match since Sunil Gavaskar's 221 at the Oval in 1971.
248(150) vs South Africa A, LC de Villiers Oval, Pretoria, 2013
Shikhar Dhawan was in a murderous mood as he belted his way to the third highest List A score. © kareem
In August 2013, representing India A, Shikhar Dhawan recorded the third-highest List A innings of all time by scoring 248 off 150 deliveries against South Africa A. Striking at 165, Dhawan's onslaught included 30 fours and 7 sixes. He got to his double-century in the 40th over of the game. His blistering innings helped India A qualify to the finals of the tri-series which they subsequently won against Australia A. After the match, South Africa A captain Justin Ontong described Dhawan's knock as "the best one-day innings" he had ever seen. India A coach Lalachand Rajput exclaimed that he hadn't seem a better innings in one-day cricket than that one.
No comments:
Post a Comment