Shikhar Dhawan was born on December 5, 1985, in Delhi, India, to Punjabi parents Sunaina and Mahendra Pal Dhawan. He completed his schooling at St. Mark’s Senior Secondary Public School in Meera Bagh, Delhi. From the age of 12, Dhawan was mentored by Tarak Sinha, a renowned cricket coach who has trained numerous professional cricketers, at Sonnet Club. Initially, Dhawan joined the team as a wicketkeeper.
Shikhar Dhawan’s cricket journey began with Delhi Under-16s in the 1999/00 Vijay Merchant Trophy, where he later became the top scorer in the 2000/01 tournament, leading Delhi to a runner-up finish. His impressive performances earned him a spot in the India Under-17 squad for the 2000/01 ACC Under-17 Asia Cup, where he averaged 85 in three matches.
In October 2002, Dhawan was selected for the Delhi Under-19 team for the Cooch Behar Trophy, scoring 388 runs in 8 innings at an average of 55.42, including two centuries. His consistent form led to his inclusion in the North Zone Under-19 squad for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy in January 2003. Dhawan kicked off the 2006–07 Ranji season with a century while batting at number three against Tamil Nadu.
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Despite competing alongside international stars like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Aakash Chopra, and Ashish Nehra in the Ranji One-day Trophy in February 2007, Dhawan was appointed captain of the Delhi team.
In the 2007–2008 Ranji Trophy season, which Delhi clinched, Dhawan scored 570 runs in 8 matches at an average of 43.84, including a double century. He followed this with solid performances in the Duleep Trophy for North Zone, averaging 42.25 over three matches. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy (formerly the Ranji One-day Trophy) in February and March 2008, Dhawan amassed 389 runs in 6 matches at an average of 97.25, including a double century and a strike rate above 100, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer. However, his form waned during the Deodhar Trophy in March, with scores of 0, 1, and 5, and he struggled in a four-day match for India A against New Zealand A in September.
Dhawan bounced back strongly in the 2008-2009 Ranji season, scoring 415 runs at an average of over 69. Although his performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in February 2009 was underwhelming, with just six runs at an average of 18.80, he excelled in the Challenger Trophy for India Red in October 2009. He averaged 48.33, helping India Red to victory. His solid form continued in the Ranji Trophy, with notable scores of 224 against Baroda and 100 against Karnataka.
In the 2012–13 Ranji Trophy season, Dhawan maintained his strong performance, accumulating 461 runs at an average of 51.22, including two centuries. He was also named captain of Delhi for a special List A match in January 2013.
International Career
Despite making his international cricket appearance in October 2010, Shikhar Dhawan truly showcased his batting prowess to the world in 2013. His remarkable Test debut against Australia in Mohali that March saw him score a stunning 187 runs off 174 balls, setting the record for the fastest century by a batsman on his Test debut.
Dhawan’s celebrated opening partnership with Rohit Sharma began during the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. He emerged as the tournament’s top run-scorer, earning the Golden Bat award, and was named Player of the Tournament. This win marked India’s last major ICC tournament victory.
In the years that followed, Dhawan consistently delivered strong performances for India. He was the top run-scorer for India in both the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, where he won the Golden Bat for the second time. Dhawan also shares the record for the most centuries in ICC Champions Trophy history (three) with Chris Gayle, Herschelle Gibbs, and Sourav Ganguly. In 2018, he became the first Indian to score a century in his 100th ODI match and, later that year, the only Indian—and the sixth player overall—to score a century before lunch on the first day of a Test match, achieving this against Afghanistan in Bengaluru. Dhawan was selected for the Indian squad in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup but was forced to withdraw after the second match against Australia, where he had scored a match-winning century.
Shikhar Dhawan has accumulated seven centuries in Test cricket and 17 centuries in One-Day Internationals (ODIs). However, he has not registered a century in T20 Internationals (T20Is).
Indian Premier League
Since the IPL’s launch in 2008, Shikhar Dhawan has been a significant player in the league. He began his IPL career with the Delhi Daredevils but has since played for several other teams.
Dhawan has had standout performances with the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Delhi Capitals. Notably, in 2013, he led the Hyderabad team during the Champions League Twenty20 Tournament, which has since been discontinued.
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In 2019, while representing the Delhi Capitals, Dhawan made history by becoming the first player to score consecutive centuries in the IPL. In 2022, he was acquired by the Punjab Kings at the auction, and during that season, he reached the milestone of 6,000 IPL runs, becoming only the second player to achieve this feat after Virat Kohli.
In the 2023 IPL season, Dhawan was named captain of the Punjab Kings, succeeding Mayank Agarwal in the role.
Top Records
- Fastest Test Century by a Debutant 187 off 174
- Leading run scorer for India in ICC World Cup 2015.
- Most number of ODI centuries in 2013.
- Wisden Cricketer of the year 2014.
- First Indian batsman to score a century before lunch on the first day in a Test match.
- Fastest Indian batsman to reach 1000 (Joint-fastest), 2000, 3000 ODI runs.
- Most runs in ICC Champions Trophy 2013 and 2017.
- Fastest batsman to reach 1000 runs in ICC tournaments.
- Highest run scorer of Asia Cup 2018.
- First player in the history of the IPL 2020 to score two consecutive centuries.
Shikhar Dhawan won the Golden Bat award at the ICC Champions Trophy twice in succession, recognizing him as the top run-scorer in the 2013 and 2017 tournaments.
In 2021, Dhawan was honored with the Arjuna Award by the Government of India, acknowledging his exceptional achievements and contributions to the sport of cricket.
