Cricketers wish Shikhar 'Gabbar' Dhawan on his 31st birthday
A lionhearted cricketer who wears his heart on his sleeve, Shikhar Dhawan carries a zealous, energetic vibe every time he comes to bat. Unbothered by the situation or opposition, “Gabbar” has developed his game around his strengths, maximizing his potential without letting go of his natural happy-go-lucky outlook, be it on the field, or off it.
He made his first-class debut in 2004, yet it took Shikhar Dhawan a further nine years to start his Test journey. And boy, what a start it was! His 187 against Australia at Mohali in 2013 describes Dhawan to the hilt: brash, aggressive, “bindaas”!
Since then, Dhawan has established himself as a vital part in all three formats, although injuries have slowed him down in the last few months. A crowd’s favourite, Dhawan apes his senior fellow state-man Virender Sehwag’s style of batting in Tests, providing blazing starts that perfectly compliment Murali Vijay’s sombre strokes.
On the occasion of his 31st birthday, he received several wishes on Twitter, including some by his teammates and fellow cricketers. Here are a few, compiled into a list:
Suresh Raina
Irfan Pathan
Gautam Gambhir
Ajinkya Rahane
Harbhajan Singh
Anil Kumble
Manoj Tiwary
Parvinder Awana
Rohit Sharma
Yuvraj Singh
Virender Sehwag
As a bonus, here’s a small compilation of Dhawan’s 15 best sixes in the game: