When Dhawan finally debuted in whites three years after his first ODI appearance, many expected him to perhaps have a few butterflies, but he instead went hammer and tonks ruining the figures of every bowler that there was. A crunch drive through the covers off Siddle after lunch launched a flurry of textbook strokes all around the PCA stadium. One session was all it took the hosts to put the pressure right back on to the Aussies.
Prior to this innings, Shikhar Dhawan has always been a household name in the Indian Domestic Circuit. The under-19 man of the series in 2004 was just a testiment of the calibur the Delhi boy possessed. Inconsistency is what perhaps kept him out of the national all this while but as they said it's never too late. Dhawan averaged a staggering 55.83 this season with four hundreds and three fifties before finally realising his dream. It was one of those days where an ardent cricket lover gets his eyeballs treated. An innings of 187 on dubut, was a class example of pure elegance displayed by a left-hand batsman.
Nine years is an agonizing wait, keeping in mind the credentials of a player as Shikhar Dhawan. All the years of scratching and clawing his way to the top, he made his mark in a way that a very few have. His innings, laced with 33 boundaries and a strike rate of 107, which made his 'handlebar' moustache more convincing to look. It wouldn't be incorrect to say that Dhawan came into this game as a batting veteran in this game following his experienced stint in the domestic front. He had nothing to lose. From the very moment he walked into the field, he was probably more inclined to indicate rather than to impress. It takes a lot to make it to the national Test squad considering the names it is stacked with. Ask Wasim Jaffer, who over the years has continued to pile on runs season after season and was still ignored by the selectors.
Indian selectors have never been known for their 'surprise' element. But keeping in mind the way the 27-year old's debut fared out, Sandeep Patil seems to have pulled a rabit out of the hat. Post the 2011 World Cup, India's opening pair had hit rock-bottom and with Gautam Gambhir and Virender finally out of contention for a while, Dhawan eventually turned out be the answer to the missing link for the opening slot. With Vijay too coming good in Hyderabad and Mohali, the duo provide hope. It was an ominous sign seeing Vijay being his composed self and not matching Dhawan shot for shot. As it is often said in Cricket, it is best to leave the batsman in his zone when he's in this kind of mood.
It was one of those days when everything fell right into place. The pulls were authoritative, the feet were moving, the head was straight and the balance was immaculate. Tell him to walk on water, and he would do that. Not even once during his stay at the crease, was there any element of risk. He played every ball on its merit and even dispatched the good ones to the ropes. A perfect blend of flamboyance and substance, this was a man who believed this moment was long overdue. Cricketnext's heading was more than appropriate, Dhawan "DEMOLISHES" Australia. I would have insisted with 'hammers' though.
To think that his exploits with the bat may have a lot to give to the advent of T20. If that is to be believed, then we might as well think that Mohinder Amarnath was known more for his singing than playing Cricket. It is, in Geoffrey Boycott's trademark voice "Utter Rubbish". It might although be safe to say that this generation of cricketers have a habit of using the long handle to perfection, but that however, doesn't credit IPL with Dhawan's heroics. He's just an artist, obsessed with his craft. A struggler who has done possibly everything to earn this long overdue success. The monkey was off his back and his innings meant more to him than just statistics.
There wasn't a shot he dint play not matching to the standards of the coaching manual. He did not put a foot wrong and carved his place in the history books without breaking a sweat. That tinch of hurry in completing his hundredth run and then that expression of relief on his face was quite obviously a sign of someone finally realzing his fairytale. He had written a script of his own and made sure that he is to be kept in mind for time to come. Shikhar Dhawan had finally come a long way to produce an innings of a lifetime, after getting a blob to his name on his ODI debut in 2010.
His 187 off 174 balls is a testiment to his long wait. To finally see him making his mark on the Test arena is the way forward for Indian cricket. With experience, he will only nurture but what remains to be seen is how long do selectors persist with him once Sehwag and Gambhir come back into the fray of things. He's out with a broken hand for the final Test at Kotla, and Ajinkya Rahane much like Dhawan in Mohali is waiting in the wings to make his first Test appearance posing a brittle challenge. But till then, let us all let Shikhar Dhawan sink in his moment of glory until time gets stiffer and competition more fierce.
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