‘Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma And I Scored 100 Centuries…’: Shikhar Dhawan Recalls Stunning Phase

(From left) Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma (AP Photo)

Along with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan became the backbone of Indian batting between 2013 and 2019.

At his peak, Shikhar Dhawan was counted among the world’s premier opening batters. Having debuted in October 2010, Dhawan went on to represent India in all three formats but his exploits in ODIs is what he’ll be most remembered for.

The 38-year-old was sometimes referred to as Mr. ICC for his exploits in global tournaments where his average improved to an excellent 65.15. In the ODI World Cups and Champions Trophies, he amassed 1238 runs at a strike-rate of 98.25.

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That he carved out a place for himself in India’s ODI team at a time when the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were bossing over attacks across the world speaks volumes of Dhawan’s impressive career.

In fact, there was a phase between 2013 and 2019 when the trio of Kohli, Rohit and Dhawan scored over 100 centuries between them across formats.

“We were part of a beautiful journey together,” Dhawan told Hindustan Times. “I clearly remember that Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and I scored 100 centuries in 5 years. Ravi bhai was our coach then. Even NCA has played such a huge role (in my career), understood how training and rehab is done whenever I got injured. And a big thank you to the BCCI as well.”

Dhawan also thanked the various coaches under whom he played through his career. “So many coaches have played a part in my career. Duncan Fletcher, Sanjay Bangar, Vikram Rathour, Rahul Dravid, Ravi Shastri. Then all the fielding coaches, batting coaches. I am thankful to all of them who worked on me,” he said.

Dhawan, who announced retirement from international and domestic cricket, scored over 10,000 runs for India across formats winning and played a prominent role in the team’s title triumph at the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.

He though didn’t have an ideal start to his international career, getting dismissed for a two-ball duck against Australia in an ODI in Visakhapatnam.

After the initial struggles, Dhawan returned to the Indian team in 2013 and cemented his place across all three formats with some scintillating performances. The highlight of his career was the brilliant 185 he scored against Australia on Test debut in Mohali, having raced to his century in just 85 balls with a flurry of boundaries but it was in ODIs that he left a lasting impact.