Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan

File:SHIKHAR DHAWAN (16005494418).jpg
Personal information
Born	(1985-12-05) 5 December 1985 Delhi, India
Nickname	Gabbar
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Batting style	Left-handed
Bowling style	Right-arm off break
Role	Opening batsman
International information
National side	India
Test debut (cap 277)	14 March 2013 v Australia
Last Test	7 December 2015 v South Africa
ODI debut (cap 188)	20 October 2010 v Australia
Last ODI	25 October 2015 v South Africa
ODI shirt no.	25
T20I debut (cap 36)	4 June 2011 v West Indies
Last T20I	5 October 2015 v South Africa
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2004–present	Delhi (squad no. 25)
2008	Delhi Daredevils (squad no. 25)
2009–2010	Mumbai Indians (squad no. 16)
2011–2012	Deccan Chargers (squad no. 25)
2013–present	Sunrisers Hyderabad (squad no. 25)
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 19 69 102 170 Runs scored 1,308 2,791 7,148 6,998 Batting average 40.87 42.93 45.24 46.03 100s/50s 4/2 8/15 21/26 19/37 Top score 187 137 224 248 Balls bowled 54 – 280 272 Wickets 0 – 3 9 Bowling average – – 44.33 27.66 5 wickets in innings – – 0 0 10 wickets in match – – 0 n/a Best bowling – – 2/30 2/22 Catches/stumpings 15/– 31/– 100/– 83/–
Source: Cricinfo, 1 November 2015

Shikhar Dhawan (born 5 December 1985) is an Indian international cricketer. He is a left-handed opening batsman and occasional right-arm off break bowler. He played for the Indian Under-17 and Under-19 teams and was the leading run-scorer at the 2004 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He made his first-class debut for Delhi in November 2004.

Dhawan made his One Day International (ODI) debut against Australia in October 2010 at Visakhapatnam. His Test debut came against the same opposition in March 2013 at Mohali where he scored the fastest century by any batsman on Test debut (85 balls). He ended his innings with 187 runs from 174 balls. He was the leading run-scorer and the Man of the Tournament of 2013 ICC Champions Trophy in England, which India won. In August 2013, he recorded the then second highest individual score in a List A match when he scored 248 runs off 150 balls for India A against South Africa A at Pretoria. In November 2014, he became the fastest Indian batsman to reach the 2000-run mark in ODIs. He was the leading run-scorer for India at the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

Early and personal life

Shikhar Dhawan was born on 5 December 1985 in Delhi to Mahendra Pal Dhawan and Sunaina Dhawan in a Punjabi family and has a younger sister, Shreshta Dhawan. He did his schooling from St. Marks Senior Secondary Public School in Paschim Vihar.Since the age of 12, he trained at Sonnet Club under the guidance of coach Tarak Sinha, who has trained 12 international cricketers. Dhawan was a wicket-keeper when he first joined the Club.

In 2012, Dhawan married Melbourne-based Ayesha Mukherji, a half-Bengali, half-British amateur boxer. Mukherji was introduced to Dhawan by Harbhajan Singh on Facebook. Mukherji already had two daughters from her previous marriage - Rhea and Aliyah - when she married him. In early-2014, she gave birth to a boy named Zoravar.

Career

Youth career

Dhawan first played for Delhi Under-16s in the 1999/00 Vijay Merchant Trophy. He had scores of 5 and 6 in the only game he played in that tournament. In the 2000/01 Vijay Merchant Trophy in which Delhi finished runners-up, Dhawan was the leading run-scorer. He scored 755 runs from 9 innings at an average of 83.88 with two hundreds and a top-score of 199. He was selected in the North Zone Under-16s squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy in February 2001. He scored 30 and 66 in the semifinal against South Zone.

His impressive performances for Delhi Under-16s was rewarded when he was picked in the India Under-17 squad for the 2000/01 ACC Under-17 Asia Cup. He played three games in that tournament and averaged 85. He was drafted into the Delhi Under-19 team in October 2001, at the age of 15, for the Cooch Behar Trophy. He averaged 22.75 in the two games he played for Delhi Under-19s, before returning to play for the Delhi Under-16s in November 2001. In the 2001/02 Vijay Merchant Trophy, Dhawan impressed once again with the bat by scoring 282 runs in 5 innings at an average of 70.50.

In October 2002, Dhawan was selected again in the Delhi Under-19 team for the Cooch Behar Trophy in which he made 388 runs from 8 innings at an average of 55.42 including two hundreds. He was then picked to play for North Zone Under-19s in January 2003 in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy. He scored 45 and 12 in the semifinal against Central Zone, before top-scoring for North Zone with 71 in the final on a seaming track in Rohtak against East Zone as North Zone secured an innings-win. In the CK Nayudu Trophy in February 2003, he averaged 55.50 with the bat for North Zone Under-19s. He continued to amass runs at the Under-19 domestic level as he scored 444 runs from 6 innings at an average of 74 in the Cooch Behar Trophy in October 2003 after which he was made the captain of the Delhi Under-19 team. Dhawan averaged 66.66 in the MA Chidambaram Trophy in December 2003 which was his first tournament as captain.

Dhawan played for India in the 2004 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh and finished as the leading run-scorer of the tournament. His total of 505 runs from seven innings is a record for a single Under-19 World Cup. He made his runs at an average of 84.16 with three centuries and a fifty and was named Player of the Tournament. He represented India in two youth Tests against England in January 2005 in which he had scores of 69, 18 and 41.

Early domestic career

Dhawan made his first-class debut for Delhi against Andhra during the 2004-05 Ranji Trophy in November 2004 and scored 49 on his debut innings. He finished as Delhi's leading run-getter in that Ranji season with a total of 461 runs from 6 matches and a high-score of 130, scoring more runs than experienced players in the team like Ajay Jadeja and Aakash Chopra. In the Ranji One-day Trophy that followed, Dhawan made his List A debut against Jammu & Kashmir in January 2005, scoring 10. He scored 13 in the next match against Punjab, before scoring back-to-back unbeaten hundreds against Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. He was then picked in the India Seniors Challenger Trophy squad in February 2005. He opened the innings for his team with Mahendra Singh Dhoni in that series. In the second match against India B, Dhawan scored a 124-ball 126, sharing a 246-run first-wicket partnership with Dhoni who also struck a century, taking India Seniors to the target of 276 for the loss of two wickets with more than three overs to spare. He was selected in the India A team to play in the one-off 50-over match against the touring Pakistani team in March 2005. He scored 8 before being bowled by Naved-ul-Hasan.

In the 2005/06 Challenger Trophy in October 2005, Dhawan played for India B and had a disappointing series with the bat. He had scores of 30, 40 and 26, unable to convert the starts into big knocks. He was selected in the North Zone squad for Duleep Trophy later that month. He scored 1 & 49 against East Zone, before scoring 117 against Zimbabwe Cricket Union President's XI. He played for Board President's XI in the three-day match against the touring Sri Lankan team and scored 65. Delhi struggled in the 2005-06 Ranji season, securing a single win in seven matches, and Dhawan scored 344 runs from 11 innings at an average of 34.40. He returned to form in the Ranji One-day Trophy in February 2006 with an average of 40.75 from 5 games. He was drafted into the North Zone squad for Deodhar Trophy later that month where he continued to be in good form with scores of 56 against Central Zone, 65 against West Zone, 44 against South Zone and 5 against East Zone. North Zone went on to win the tournament and retain the trophy. Dhawan represented India A in the EurAsia Cricket Series in April–May 2006, a limited-overs tournament held at Abu Dhabi between India A, Ireland A, Netherlands A, Pakistan A and United Arab Emirates. He finished as the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 288 runs from 5 matches at an average of 72 including a hundred and two fifties. In the Top End Series in July 2006, Dhawan batted at 3 for India A and had scores of 12 against Pakistan A and 4 against Australia A.

Dhawan started the 2006-07 Ranji Trophy with a century against Tamil Nadu, batting at No.3. He opened the innings in the remaining five matches of the season but managed to score only two half-centuries and failed to hit another hundred. Dhawan was made captain of the Delhi team for the Ranji One-day Trophy in February 2007, despite the presence of international players in the lineup such as Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Aakash Chopra and Ashish Nehra. Dhawan, who batted at three in four matches and at four in two games, had an average tournament with the bat and as captain. He scored 161 runs at an average of 32.20 with a top-score of 46 while Delhi could not progress past quarterfinals. He batted at four for North Zone in the Deodhar Trophy in February–March and averaged 23.66 from three innings.

Delhi won the 2007-08 season of Ranji Trophy in which Dhawan made 570 runs from 8 matches at an average of 43.84 including two hundreds. In the Duleep Trophy that followed, he averaged 42.25 in his three games for North Zone. He was the second highest run-getter in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (earlier called Ranji One-day Trophy) in February–March 2008. He played 6 matches in that tournament and accumulated 389 runs at an average of 97.25 with two hundreds and a strike rate of over 100. However, he lost his form during the Deodhar Trophy in March when he played for North Zone and made scores of 0, 1 and 5. He failed to make an impression playing for India A in a 4-day match against New Zealand A in September 2008 as he scored 27 & 7.

Dhawan was selected in the India Green squad in the Challenger Trophy in October 2008. He scored 45 against India Red and 7 against India Blue as India Green lost both matches and failed to qualify for the finals. Dhawan returned to form in the 2008-09 Ranji season by scoring 415 runs and averaging over 69. In January 2009, he scored 37 & 61 for North Zone against South Zone in the Duleep Trophy semifinal as South Zone registered a 411-run victory. Dhawan had an indifferent run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in February 2009 with an average of 18.80 in six innings.

Dhawan played for India Red in the Challenger Trophy in October 2009. He averaged 48.33 in that tournament which India Red won. His good form continued in the Ranji Trophy as he scored 224 in the season's opening match against Baroda and 100 in the second game against Karnataka. However, he suffered an injury in the third match against Uttar Pradesh which kept him on the sidelines for four weeks. He returned to the team during the knockout stage with scores of 17 against Tamil Nadu in the quarterfinal and 44 & 40 against Mumbai in the semifinal. He finished the Ranji season with a total of 451 runs from 6 innings averaging 75.16. In February 2010, he played five matches for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and scored the most runs for his team - 327 runs at 81.75 including a century (155*) and two fifties - which earned him a spot in the North Zone team for Deodhar Trophy in March 2010. He made an unbeaten 85 in the semifinal of the Deodhar Trophy against East Zone and 48 in the final against West Zone, helping North Zone lift the title. He was recalled in the India A squad which toured England in June–July 2010. In the first game of the tour, a three-day match against Yorkshire, Dhawan scored 179 off 208 balls to help India A post 473/3d. Yorkshire were bowled out for 219 in their first innings and the match ended in a draw. He played in two four-day matches against West Indies A in which he had scores of 17, 21 and 43. In the limited-overs triangular series involving England Lions, India A and West Indies A, Dhawan scored 166 runs from 4 innings at an average of 41.50 and a strike rate of 130.70.

Maiden India call-up

Dhawan was selected in the Rest of India squad to play against the defending Ranji champions Mumbai in the Irani Cup in October 2010. He scored 83 in the first innings and 13 in the second innings as Rest of India won by 361 runs. He was then selected to play for India Blue in the Challengers Trophy. He was dismissed run out for a duck in the first game against India Red before he scored a 121-ball 109 in the second match against India Green. India Red beat India Green in the final at Indore where he scored 44.

During this time, Australia were on their two Tests-three ODIs tour of India. The Test series had just concluded with India winning 2-0. The Indian selectors selected a "second string" squad for the ODI series as several first-choice senior players were either injured or rested. Shikhar Dhawan was picked in the 14-man squad which was the first occasion he featured in an Indian senior team squad. Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni backed Dhawan before the series saying, "Both of us scored in the Challengers in Mumbai (in 2005). I got a chance to establish myself in the national team. There has been ups and downs in his career but he has been quite consistent. As an opener it's quite tough, as you have Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir all at the same level. It's good that he got a chance finally. Hope he scores and the bench will become stronger". The first ODI at Kochi was washed out by rain. Dhawan made his international debut, along with Saurabh Tiwary, in the second ODI at Visakhapatnam on 20 October 2010. Australia, who batted first, made 289/3 in 50 overs, and Dhawan opened the innings for India in the run-chase. He did not score off the first delivery and was bowled off the second by Clint McKay. However, India went on to win the match by 5 wickets. The third ODI at Margao was called off due to a wet outfield.

Return to domestic cricket and international recall

In November 2010, Dhawan returned to playing for Delhi in 2010-11 Ranji Trophy. He scored a total of 486 runs in 7 matches at an average of 44.18. He registered only one hundred in that season, a 149 against Gujarat at Delhi after Gujarat were bowled out for 71 in their first innings. He failed to make it to the Indian squad for the South African tour in December. In the Duleep Trophy in January 2011, he scored 21 & 53 against West Zone in the semifinal and 5 & 19 against South Zone in the final. His struggle with form continued in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as he averaged just 22 from 4 matches. He was included in the North Zone squad for the Deodhar Trophy in March 2011. He took 1/20 and score 71 in the semifinal against Central Zone to give his team a five-wicket win. In the low-scoring final against West Zone, he was bowled by Jaydev Unadkat for 8.

In June 2011, India toured the West Indies for three Tests, five ODIs and one T20I. India's regular openers in limited-overs, Sehwag and Gambhir were ruled out of the tour due to shoulder injuries, whereas Tendulkar decided to rest himself after India's World Cup win and the 2011 IPL. The selectors picked Dhawan in the limited-overs squad in spite of his poor performance in the previous domestic season as he showed signs of returning to form during the 2011 IPL. He made his T20I debut against West Indies on 4 June 2011 at Port of Spain where he opened the innings with Parthiv Patel and was dismissed for 5 off 11 balls caught behind to keeper Andre Fletcher off the bowling of Darren Sammy. India won the match by 16 runs. In the first ODI of the tour, with India needing 215 to win, Dhawan scored 51 of 76 balls (3 fours, 1 six) which was his maiden ODI fifty. India eventually won the match by 4 wickets with 31 balls to spare thanks to Rohit Sharma's contribution. He had scores of 3 and 4 in the second and third ODIs respectively with India winning both games. In the fourth ODI, he was replaced by Manoj Tiwary who scored 2 off 17 balls as India lost the match by 103 runs. Dhawan returned to the team in the final ODI and scored 11. West Indies won the match by 7 wickets while India took the series 3-2.

Back on the fringes

After his poor in the West Indies, Dhawan was unable to find a place in the Indian squad that toured England later that year and resumed his domestic commitments. In October 2011, playing for Rest of India against Rajasthan in the Irani Cup final at Jaipur, he scored 177 off 165 balls in the first innings and 155 off 126 balls in the second innings. Rest of India went on to win the match by 404 runs, and Dhawan was awarded the man of the match for his efforts. He then played for India Red in the Challenger Trophy. He did not bat in the first match against India Green and scored 3 in the second match against India Blue. India Red won both the games and qualified for the final. India Red captain Gautam Gambhir left for international duty and Dhawan was named the captain of the team for the final against India Green. He scored just one run in the final which ended in a tie. He was out of form in the 2011-12 Ranji Trophy as he scored 296 runs at an average of 32.88 with no hundreds, while Delhi finished sixth in their seven-team group and could not progress to the knockout stage. He scored 40 & 38 for North Zone in the Duleep Trophy semifinal against East Zone in February 2012. East Zone qualified for the final on first-innings lead. He returned to form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in February–March 2012, scoring 291 runs in eight matches at an average of 48.50 including three fifties. Delhi managed to reach the semifinal which they lost to Mumbai. North Zone won the Deodhar Trophy in March 2012, but Dhawan had scores of 7 and 0 in the semifinal and final respectively.

In June 2012, India A toured West Indies to play 3 four-day matches, 3 List A matches and two T20s against West Indies A, and Dhawan was included in the India A squad. He struggled with the bat in the entire tour, failing to post a single fifty-plus score. He averaged 7.50 in the first two four-day matches before getting dropped from the team for the third game. In the two T20s, he averaged 27 with a strike rate of less than 100, and scored 49 runs in the two List A matches at an average of 24.50.

Dhawan was in sublime form at the start of the 2012-13 season. He played for India A in the Challenger Trophy in September–October 2012. In the first match against Bengal, he scored an unbeaten 99 to help India A chase down the target of 194 for the loss of two wickets and won the man of the match award. He scored a 139-ball 152 in the next match against India B, as India A won by 4 runs. In the final against India B, he scored 61, but India A were bowled out for 217 and fell short of the target by 139 runs. In the Duleep Trophy that followed, he was named the captain of the North Zone squad. He won the man of the match award in the quarterfinal match against West Zone, after scoring 101 & 50. He was stumped in both innings by off-spinner Kamlesh Makvana. North Zone progressed to the semifinal by virtue of first innings lead. In the semifinal against Central Zone, Dhawan scored 121 & 37. The match was drawn, and Central Zone qualified for the final because of their 18-run first innings lead. He continued his good form in the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy, scoring 461 runs including two centuries at an average of 51.22. Delhi missed a spot in the knockouts by one point. Dhawan was named captain of Delhi for the one-off List A match against the touring England team in January 2013. He scored 110 off 109 balls in Delhi's run-chase of 295, helping Delhi win the match by 6 wickets. He was then selected in the Rest of India squad for 2013 Irani Cup match against Mumbai in February 2013. Opening the innings with Murali Vijay, he scored 63 & 0. The match ended in a draw, but Rest of India retained the title on first innings lead.

Test debut and Champions Trophy

After his consistent performance in the 2012-13 domestic season, Dhawan was rewarded with a call-up to the Indian Test squad in February 2013 for the four-match series against Australia. He was the third-choice opener in the squad which consisted of Test regulars Virender Sehwag and Murali Vijay. India chose Sehwag and Vijay over Dhawan in the first two Tests. India won both the matches, but Sehwag was dropped from the squad for the remaining two Tests of the series owing to his poor form. No replacement was named in the squad for Sehwag, which made Dhawan the favorite to take his place in the third Test. Dhawan made his Test debut in the third Test at Mohali on 14 March 2013, receiving the cap from Sachin Tendulkar who said to him: "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." The first day of the match was washed out by rain, and Australia elected to bat first after winning the toss on the second day. Australia were bowled out for 408 on the morning of the third day. In reply, India opened the innings with Dhawan and Vijay. The duo batted out the rest of the third day taking India to 283 for no loss at stumps on third day, with Dhawan batting on 185 and Vijay batting on 83. In the process, Dhawan scored the fastest century ever on Test debut, off 85 balls, and also broke the long-held record of highest score by an Indian debutant held by Gundappa Viswanath (137 vs Australia at Kanpur, 1969). Dhawan was dismissed for 187 (174 balls) in the second over of the fourth day, caught by Ed Cowan at silly point off the bowling of Nathan Lyon. He did not bat in India's second innings after suffering a hand injury while fielding during the fourth day. India went on to win the match by 6 wickets, and Dhawan won the man of the match award. He missed the fourth Test at Delhi after being ruled out for six weeks due to a fracture in his left hand.

Dhawan made his comeback from injury during the 2013 Indian Premier League in a match for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Chennai Super Kings on 25 April and scored 63 runs from 45 balls. He played 10 matches that season and scored 311 runs at an average of 38.87 including three fifties. His good form helped him gain selection to the Indian ODI squad for the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy that was to be held in England in June. He opened the innings with Vijay in the warm-up matches and had scores of 1 and 17 against Sri Lanka and Australia respectively, despite which India won both games. Dhawan opened the batting with Rohit Sharma in the main event and the pair found success. In the tournament's opening match between India and South Africa at Cardiff, Dhawan scored his maiden ODI hundred. His innings of 114 came from 94 balls including 12 fours and a six. He shared an opening partnership of 127 runs with Sharma. India won and he was named man of the match. In India's next match against West Indies, he scored an unbeaten 102 off 107 balls, his second ODI hundred, adding 101 for the first wicket with Sharma. India chased down the target of 234 for the loss of two wickets and more than 10 overs to spare. India's last group fixture was a rain-curtailed match at Birmingham against Pakistan, which India won by 8 wickets (D/L method). Dhawan scored 48 off 41 balls in this match. India topped the group table by winning all matches and qualified for the semifinals. In the semifinal match against Sri Lanka, he scored a 92-ball 68 which helped India win by 8 wickets with 15 overs to spare. This win took India to the final at Birmingham where they would face the hosts England. The final was reduced to 20-overs-a-side after rain delayed the start of play. India batted first and made 129/7 with Dhawan scoring 31 runs off 24 balls. India went on to win the match by 5 runs. Dhawan, who scored 363 runs from 5 matches at an average of 90.75 and a strike rate of over 100, won the Golden Bat award for scoring the most runs in the tournament and was also named player of the tournament.

Cementing his place

The Indian team then went to the West Indies for a triangular series against West Indies and Sri Lanka. Dhawan scored 135 runs in five games at an average of 27. His only half-century in the series came against West Indies at Port of Spain where he made 69 off 77 balls. India won the series by beating Sri Lanka in the final in which he scored 16. In July–August, India toured Zimbabwe for five ODIs, resting several first-choice players, under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. Dhawan scored a total of 209 runs in four matches at an average of 52.25 and finished as the leading run-getter of the series, while India won the series 5–0. In the second match at Harare, he scored his third ODI century. He was awarded the man of the match for his innings of 116 which helped India post 294/8 after being 65/4 in the 17th over.

"I haven't seen a better innings in one-day cricket than this one. The way he batted today, I thought he would get 300. They were clean hits, all proper cricketing shots. He pulled, he cut, he drove. He played all shots today and it was a real treat to watch."

–India A coach Lalchand Rajput on Dhawan's knock of 248.

In August 2013, he played for India A on its to tour South Africa. He continued to be in good form in the triangular series against South Africa A and Australia A. He recorded the second-highest List A innings of all time by scoring 248 runs off 150 balls against South Africa A in the last group match of the series at Pretoria, the winner of which would play Australia A in the final. His innings included 30 fours and seven sixes, and helped India A put up 433/3 on board and win the match by 39 runs. After the match, South Africa A captain Justin Ontong described Dhawan's knock as "the best one-day innings" he had ever seen, and added "Every shot he hit found the gap or went over the fielders. It was like watching a highlights package. He hit so many good shots, it's hard to pick out one that stood out. There were a few sixes that went into the construction site." Dhawan then scored 62 in the final against Australia A as India A clinched the series with a 50-run win. He finished as the highest run-getter of the series, scoring 410 runs at an average of 102.50 and a strike rate of over 135.

Australia toured India in October and November 2013 for one T20I and seven ODIs. Dhawan scored a personal best 32 in the T20I game which India won. In the ODIs, he scored 284 runs in 6 innings at an average of 56.80 and was involved in three century opening stands with Rohit Sharma. In the second ODI at Jaipur, Dhawan scored 95 off 86 balls to help India chase down the target of 360 for the loss of just one wicket, the second highest successful run-chase in the history of ODI cricket. In the sixth game at Nagpur, he scored a 102-ball 100, his fourth ODI century, which helped India successfully chase Australia's total of 350. He was dismissed for 60 in the final match at Bangalore which India won to clinch the series. In November 2013, after being unable to convert starts into big knocks in the two-match Test series and the first two ODIs against West Indies, Dhawan scored a match-winning 119 off just 95 balls in the series-deciding third ODI at Kanpur and was named player of the match.

Struggle with form

India toured South Africa in December 2013 to play 3 ODIs and 2 Tests. In the first ODI played at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg South Africa made 358 runs while batting first. Dhawan made 12 runs from 13 balls. In the second match he got out for a duck while chasing 281 runs. The 3rd ODI was washed out by rain and lost the series 2-0. This broke India's record 6 straight ODI series win. The ODIs were followed by 2 tests. Dhawan continued his poor run scoring only 13 and 15 in the First match played at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. In the Second match played at Kingsmead, Durban he get starts in both innings as he made scores of 29 and 19 but fails to convert them into big scores.

In January 2014, India went to New Zealand to play 5 ODIs & 2 Tests. In the first ODI played at McLean Park, Napier while chasing 293 runs Dhawan made 32 runs before get out by Corey Anderson. He score 12 & 28 runs in next two matches before get dropped from the for the first time in one year. He come back for the last match but made only 9 runs. In the first Test match played at Eden Park, Auckland Dhawan got out for a duck in first innings, But he scored his 2nd Test century in the 2nd innings. This came after a very long time as he had been out-of-form. In the Second Test, he scored 98 runs in the first innings but got out for only 2 runs in the second innings as the match ended in a draw.

Dhawan did not have a great start to 2014 Asia Cup where he made only 28 runs in first match against Bangladesh but he made 94 runs against Sri Lanka in India's next match. He also made 60 runs against Afghanistan. India win only 2 matches and fail to make it to the final. Dhawan finished the tournament with 192 runs.

He was also part of India's 15-man Squad for 2014 World T20 where he played 3 matches. In the first match against Pakistan, he made 30 runs off 24 balls and gave India a good start while chasing 132 runs. He play two more matches in the tournament against West Indies and Bangladesh respectively. However India win all 3 matches but dhawan fail to score big runs and being dropped from team. India make it to the final where they lost to Sri Lanka.

Dhawan was selected in India's 18 man Squad to play 5 Test matches against England. After showing good form in the practise match where he made 60 runs, he was selected in final playing XI for the first test match to be played at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. He made 12 runs in the first innings and 29 runs in the second. His bad form from the first match continue in the next two matches as he made scores of 7, 31, 6 & 37 in the four innings resulting in him being dropped from the team for the next two matches in favour of returning Gautam Gambhir.

He was also part of the ODI and T20 squad. The first ODI was washed out by rain. He suffer with bad form in the next two matches before returning to form in the 4th match with an unbeaten 97 which include 11 fours and 4 six. In the same match He put on 183 runs opening stand with Ajinkya Rahane who scored a Hundred. He made 31 runs in 5th odi as India won the 5 match series 3-1 and Dhawan finished the Series as the Second highest run scorer. He also play the alone T20 where he made 32 runs but India lost the match by 3 runs in the last over.

West Indies tour India in October 2014 to play 5 ODIs, 3 Tests & 1 T20. Dhawan was part of ODI squad where he play in the first match and 68 runs, However India lost the match while chasing 338 runs. He score 35 off 35 in the 4th Match and India won the match and the series 2-1 as the 3rd and 5th ODI were cancelled. After the 4th ODI the whole tour was cancelled by WICB.

Sri Lanka then agreed to tour India in November 2014 to play 5 ODIs. Dhawan was part of squad anounnced for first 3 ODIs. In the first match played at Cuttak he made 113 runs and put on 231 runs Opening stand with Ajinkya Rahane. He made 79 runs off 80 balls in the 2nd match and 91 off 79 in 3rd match. He was rested for remaining 2 matches and was replaced by returning Rohit Sharma. India won the series 5-0 and Dhawan finished the series as the 3rd highest run scorer.

Dhawan made a comeback into the Test team in 2014 Border-Gavaskar Test series where he play in the first match at Adelaide Oval and made 25 runs in the first inning and 9 runs in the second innings. In the second match played at The Gabba, Brisbane he made 24 runs in the first innings and put on 56 runs opening stand with Murali Vijay. He made 81 runs off 145 in the second innings. In the third match at Melbourne, He made 28 runs in the first inning but followed it up with a duck in the second innings. He was dropped from last test due to poor form.

His poor form continue in 2015 Cartlon Mid ODI Tri Series against Australia and England. In India's first match against Australia he made only 2 runs off 4 balls. He made scores of 1 and 8 in next two matches before showing some sign of returning to form in the last Match against England, where he made 38 runs and put 83 runs opening stand with Ajinkya Rahane who made 73 runs. He made a fifty in the World Cup Warm-up match against Australia.

Dhawan had a great start to the 2015 World Cup with a 73 against Pakistan in the first match and was run out. He made a hundred against South Africa in next match, scoring 137 off 146 balls which is also his highest score in ODIs. He made 14 runs against UAE and 9 runs against West Indies in India's next two matches of the tournament. He scored his second hundred of the tournament in next match against Ireland which come of just 85 balls. He score only 10 runs against Zimbabwe. India win all their group matches and top the Group B table 12 points. In India's next match against Bangladesh in the Quarter final Dhawan scored 30 runs of 38 balls and India won the match and advanced to semifinal where Dhawan made 45 runs of 41 balls but India lost the match and failed to qualify for Final. Dhawan finished the tournament as the fifth highest runs scorer with 412 runs at an average of 51.50 and strike rate of 91.75.

Dhawan made a comeback into the test side in June 2015 by scoring 173 in the first inning of the only test match against Bangladesh. It was followed by a 3-match ODI series where he was top-scorer with 160 runs.

During the India tour of Sri Lanka in August 2015, Dhawan followed up his good form with a 134 in the first Test. With this, he also became only the third Indian opener after Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid to score back to back test hundred in away Tests. During the match, he fracturing his right hand while fielding in the slips and was ruled out of the tour.

Indian Premier League

He played for the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League and made 4 half centuries. He was also the third highest scorer of the Delhi Daredevils team. He was traded to the Mumbai Indians in exchange for Ashish Nehra. He has played for the Mumbai Indians in the second and third season of the IPL. For the fourth season he was bought by the Deccan Chargers for $300,000.

He was selected captain of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team prior to the start of the 2013 Champions League Twenty20 tournament.

Endorsements

Dhawan has endorsement deals with the following brands:

• Canara Bank
• Cornerstone Sport & Entertainment
• Big Bazaar
• R K Global
• Jolly Roger
• Rodeo Drive

International centuries

Test centuries

Shikhar Dhawan's Test centuries
#	Runs	Match	Against	City/Country	Venue	Year	Result
1	187	1	Australia	Mohali, India	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium	2013	Won
2	115	6	New Zealand	Auckland, New Zealand	Eden Park	2014	Lost
3	173	14	Bangladesh	Fatullah, Bangladesh	Fatullah Osmani Stadium	2015	Drawn
4	134	15	Sri Lanka	Galle, Sri Lanka	Galle International Stadium	2015	Lost

One Day International centuries

Shikhar Dhawan's One Day International centuries
#	Runs	Match	Against	City/Country	Venue	Year	Result
1	114	6	South Africa	Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom	SWALEC Stadium	2013	Won
2	102*	7	West Indies	London, England, United Kingdom	The Oval	2013	Won
3	116	17	Zimbabwe	Harare, Zimbabwe	Harare Sports Club	2013	Won
4	100	24	Australia	Nagpur, India	Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium	2013	Won
5	119	28	West Indies	Kanpur, India	Green Park Stadium	2013	Won
6	113	47	Sri Lanka	Cuttack, India	Barabati Stadium	2014	Won
7	137	55	South Africa	Melbourne, Australia	Melbourne Cricket Ground	2015	Won
8	100	58	Ireland	Hamilton, New Zealand	Seddon Park	2015	Won

Awards

• ICC World ODI XI: 2013
• CEAT International Player of the Year: 2013–14

Test cricket

Man of the Match awards

No.	Series	Season	Match Performance	Result
1	3rd Test – Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test Series	2012/13	1st innings: 187 (174 balls: 33x4, 2x6) 2nd innings: DNB	India won by 6 wickets.
1	Only Test – India in Bangladesh Test Match	2015	1st innings: 173 (195 balls: 23x4) 2nd innings: DNB	Drawn.

ODI cricket

Man of the Match awards

No.	Opponent	Venue	Date	Match Performance	Result
1	South Africa	Sophia Gardens, Cardiff	6 June 2013	114 (94 balls: 12x4, 1x6)	India won by 26 runs.
2	Zimbabwe	Harare Sports Club, Harare	26 July 2013	116 (127 balls: 11x4, 2x6); 1 Ct.	India won by 58 runs.
3	West Indies	Green Park, Kanpur	27 November 2013	119 (95 balls: 20x4); 1 Ct.	India won by 5 wickets.
4	South Africa	MCG, Melbourne	22 February 2015	137 (146 balls: 16x4, 2x6); 2 Ct.	India won by 130 runs.
5	Ireland	Seddon Park, Hamilton	10 March 2015	100 (85 balls: 11x4, 5x6)	India won by 8 wickets.

Man of the series awards

No.	Series	Season	Performance	Result
1	2013 ICC Champions Trophy	2013	363 runs at 90.75 average (2 hundreds, 1 fifty) in 5 matches	India won the Champions Trophy.

External links

• Shikhar Dhawan's player profile on Cricinfo