Shikhar Dhawan contemplated quitting cricket at one stage says childhood coach

Shikhar Dhawan was the highest scorer in the 2004 edition of the Under 19 World Cup 

The name of Shikhar Dhawan came into prominence in the ICC Under 19 World Cup 2004, where the southpaw amassed 505 runs at an average of 84.16 to become the highest run-getter in that tournament. However, due to the presence of stalwarts in the Indian team, he could not make his international debut for the senior team until 2010 when he made his ODI debut against Australia at Vishakhapatnam. But a duck in his opening game didn’t do his chances any good.

In fact, it was only after he scored a scintillating 187 against Australia on his Test debut, that he started to look a part of the Indian set-up. And since then he hasn’t looked back.

However, even after his successful exploits in the under 19 World Cup, Dhawan failed to get regular chances at the domestic level either. He was more of a late bloomer and his childhood coach Tarak Sinha also revealed that the southpaw even contemplated quitting at one stage.

Dhawan thought about quitting

Sinha was quoted by Cricbuzz, "Look, Delhi is a high-profile team. At that time, there were established openers like Virender Sehwag, Chopra and Gautam Gambhir. He hardly got to play. He thought about quitting because he felt he wouldn't get a chance.”

Shikhar Dawan has a tough time ahead as India is scheduled to play 13 Tests in the next year or so. With the emergence of KL Rahul, Dhawan can't rest on his past laurels and talking about his protege Dhawan, Tarak Sinha was quoted by Cricbuzz, "After a stage, a player thinks that he is doing fine and there's nothing wrong with him, and he'll overcome this phase. It's a psychological thing. When you fail in a few innings consistently , you become nervous and your feet and hands don't move." 

He also made it clear that he has no qualms about the fact that his ‘student' doesn't seek much advice from him these days. The man, who coached Dhawan when he was just 12, feels that the southpaw’s strength lies in his supreme confidence. Praising Dhawan, Sinha said, "There was always a spark in him.He was extremely talented, and would pick up every nuance of the game quickly. When he played in a U-14 tournament for Sonnet, he scored a hundred in the semis. He was mentally very strong, and such players go very far. He has seen quite a few highs and lows in his life, but ultimately he was successful.”

Sonnet is the club, that Sinha started as a youngster way back in 1969 in the capital. Talent has never been an issue for the left-hander but it is his inconsistency which has often let Dhawan down. It will be interesting to see how the left-hander fares in the upcoming months.