Shikhar 'The One': Destiny's naughtiest child
When Shikhar Dhawan hit that blistering knock of 187 off 174 balls on his debut against Australia, he seemed to be destined to do big things. For, no ordinary batsman comes out and bats like that on his debut. The nerves, the fear, the anxiety, Dhawan seemed to have forgotten the bag with all of them home.
He was batting like he owned the day, the ground and the bowlers. He would step out to hit one over the bowler’s head and the next ball he’d stay in his crease and work the ball behind square on the off-side. He seemed like ‘The One’.
It’s been a little over four years since that scintillating debut and Dhawan’s career has touched some breathtaking highs and experienced some disheartening lows. And this turbulence hasn't been a highlight of one format, this has been a highlight of his career across formats. But his struggle in the longest format of the game has been another story altogether.
For a gifted stroke player like Dhawan, it was frustrating for the fans to watch him fail innings after innings. The same player who’d toy with bowling at one point failed to get his feet in-line with the ball. He’d struggle with the short-ball and the ones right outside his off-stump.
All of this combined made you wonder, was he really ‘The One', or was that just a purple patch that’s long gone.
Come Galle 2017, Sri Lanka is not the force they were once, they’re not even the force they were back in 2015. This is a team searching for its soul. Searching for a leader. Searching for direction.
If this wasn’t agonising enough for them, they got plagued with fitness issues right before the start of the series. Dinesh Chandimal, who became captain after Angelo Mathews stepped down following a disastrous Zimbabwe series was down with pneumonia.
And if all of this was still not agonising enough, they ran into a Shikhar Dhawan firing on all cylinders.
The opening southpaw’s comeback story is quite peculiar in itself. Nowhere in the scheme of things, Dhawan was called after both of India’s regular openers Murali Vijay and KL Rahul were declared unfit. There was the talk of how Rohit Sharma -who is also making a comeback- should be asked to open.
But as destiny would have it, Dhawan was ‘The One’.
He came out and for the initial part of the innings, made it look like Sri Lankan bowlers were struggling. Like they lacked steam and Dhawan was getting the advantage of facing some pretty average bowling.
It was only after Abhinav Mukund edged one to the keeper that the picture got demystified. Surely, Sri Lankans weren’t as testing, but they weren’t innocuous either. It was indeed Dhawan’s stroke play that made them look worse than they were.
Dhawan had raced to 31, he seemed to be cruising on the freeway with a V8 engine slowly warming up for the long haul. Just then, Lahiru Kumara bowled a beauty. Pitching just outside the off-stump luring Dhawan to play that expansive drive. And he did. What followed was a millisecond of heartbreak for every Dhawan fan. He had done it again. Thrown it away, rammed his cruising vehicle into the side-rails of the freeway.
It was just that he hadn’t.
Asela Gunaratne dived, took a blow on his heavily bandaged left hand and dropped the catch.
Dhawan was reprieved, maybe the god of stroke making wanted a show this afternoon. And he didn't disappoint. What followed was an onslaught that seemed straight from 2013. Dhawan was dancing down the track -at times as far as a couple of yards- and smothering any trace of spin on the ball.
If there were a short fine-leg and a deep square leg in place, he’d sweep and pierce that gap. Then he’d play the lap sweep and follow that with a drill straight down the ground. Pepper that with beautiful drives and exquisite cuts. And serve on-drives as dessert. The chef was serving the best stroke play in quite some time and we weren’t complaining.
In the second session of the game where he resumed batting at 71, the southpaw hit 23 boundaries all around the ground. Post lunch, Dhawan revved his engine and scored 126 off 90 balls. Breaking Polly Umrigar’s record of 110 runs that he scored in the post-lunch session, way back in 1962. He is only behind Sehwag who still holds the record for most runs in a session- 133.
When, at the stroke of Tea on Day 1, he seemed ominous, he stepped down the wicket and mistimed a drive straight to mid-off. At 190, three ahead of his highest Test score, and 10 short of his maiden double, with another session to bat and a set of tiring Lankan bowlers panting for breath.
He gave it away. Was there a need? Was he trying to score those 10 before tea? Does he even value his wicket? You’ll never know. Maybe he won’t either.
He is Destiny's naughtiest child. He’s Da-one.
Also Read: India vs Sri Lanka 2017, 1st Test: Day 1, 5 talking points