So at the end of a memorable day for the Dhawan family, when Shikhar put years of doubt and uncertainty to rest, his proud mother Sunaina's first reaction was: "Chalo abhi woh Indian team mey pakka ho jaye, bas. (Will just pray that he becomes a permanent fixture in the Indian team)."
As the Delhi boy sent shockwaves through the Australian attack, the city's cricket fraternity wasn't surprised by his audacious approach. That's how he has always played his cricket, they said. He knew it was a do-or-die game for him. He had to play his best cricket and that's how he plays best," his childhood coach Tarak Sinha told TOI on Saturday.
The 27-year-old has come a long way since starting as a wicketkeeper-batsman when he first sought professional coaching. Critics pointed out his inconsistency but none would doubt the talent he possessed. As Sinha puts it, "He has more guts than talent. My only concern was that he would throw his wicket away, as he has done in a lot of domestic games."
Former India opener and Delhi and District Cricket Association's chief selector Chetan Chauhan said, "I expected him to be at his aggressive best. The pitch was flat and the bowling was not extraordinary, so why not?"
Not many remember that Shikhar had returned from the under-19 World Cup in 2004 as the player of the tournament. In between he kept pegging at it but with the India slots taken by Sehwag and Gambhir, Shikhar struggled to keep his motivation going.
"He even lost his way somewhat through the glitz of the IPL, with reports coming in that he had given in to wild ways and had lost the desire to persevere. All people talked about was his tattoos and love for Hayabusa bikes. His motivation level dipped and he got frustrated. His chance did not come despite performing in the Ranji Trophy and he thought, why bother about first-class cricket when I am not going to be considered. That was a difficult period for him," Sinha said.
Now, it's up to Dhawan to hold on to his place in the team.
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