Shikhar Dhawan answered all his detractors in style as the 'Gabbar' of Indian cricket made his way to a magnificent 97 in the first ODI vs West Indies.
Although the southpaw missed the three-figure mark by the barest of margins, he proved to each and everyone that he has a lot left in the tank and is here to stay. In an innings that lasted close to 34 overs, Dhawan looked in sublime touch and smacked ten boundaries and three maximums.
Over the years, Dhawan has been criticised a lot. But he has always let his bat do the talking.
When he was asked on the eve of the tour opener if he finds the criticism odd, Dhawan responded, "I don't feel odd, I have heard it for 10 years. People keep talking, I keep performing. If I listened to them, I wouldn't be here. I have the experience, so I'm not too worried. As long as I self-analyze and improve, nothing else matters," said Dhawan
"I'm a very positive person. For me, positivity is about self-belief and the confidence you take in. I have that since I've been playing for so many years. I'm here because I've done some good things. That is the positivity I want to pass on to the youngsters," he added.
We've Failed to Celebrate The Gabbar of Indian Cricket
Amidst all the hullabaloo surrounding the Kohlis, the Sharmas, and the excitement around the Kishans, and the Gaikwads, we've forgotten to celebrate the same smile after a hundred or dismissal, the trademark thigh slap, and an absolute legend of the game who deserves the same level of appreciation, love, and acknowledgement, if not more.
We've forgotten to celebrate the 'Gabbar' of Indian cricket. The name is Shikhar Dhawan. To be honest, Dhawan did not do much wrong to warrant his complete absence from T20 cricket. On the contrary, he has been one of the most consistent run-getters in the shortest format of the game.
From the last seven IPL seasons, Dhawan has consistently scored more than 450 runs. It includes three 500+ runs seasons and one 600+ runs season. Consider this, Shikhar is just behind Virat Kohli in the all-time highest run-getters in IPL.
His international numbers in the shortest format may not be among the best, but he has played his part in India's strategy to consolidate in the first half. Having scored 6284 runs in 152 matches, the man is an unarguable legend in the ODI format.
Guessing by the way Dhawan re-invents himself at the ICC events, there are a lot more smiles, and thigh slaps left. And when he pulls off a Dhawan this time, let's hope his name is taken in the same league as that of Kohli and Rohit. The Gabbar deserves it.
