After his record breaking debut Test century, the Delhi left-hander made his mark in the ODI side as well with 114 off 94 balls which helped India reached 331 against South Africa in the Champions Trophy opener.
The best thing about Dhawan's innings was his fearless approach against the likes of Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Ryan McLaren and Rory Kleinveldt. Dhawan didn't mind coming to the front-foot against these bowlers, who were often pitching it short. He was hit on the helmet once as well, but that couldn't stop him.
There were times during the first-wicket partnership of 127 with Rohit Sharma when he was kept away from the strike. But Dhawan showed his maturity and when he got his chance, played some superb shots on the up which were difficult to stop.
"He played a superb innings today. Looks a great find for India," Shane Warne told about Dhawan, who was playing his sixth ODI on Thursday. There's some similarity in the way the careers of Dhawan and Gautam Gambhir have shaped up. Gambhir, too, was a prolific run-scorer in the domestic circuit, but took some time to cement his place in the Indian team.
Dhawan, too, has been around for a while, and his first five ODIs weren't too productive. But his debut Test century against Australia was nothing short of sensational and he followed it up with a good IPL. And now, this century against South Africa in Cardiff should seal his spot in the Indian team for the time being. "He seems to have started from where he left off against Australia. He timed the ball well, played both the pacers and spinners well," former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said.
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