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When you're playing alongside ODI legends like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, it's easy for a batsman like Shikhar Dhawan to be overlooked. The impact these two have had over the last few seasons has completely rewritten the playbook for one-day cricket—Kohli with his clinical run-chases and Rohit with his relentless pursuit of double centuries.Shikhar Dhawan is often underrated in a team that consists of two ODI batting stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. What the duo has achieved over the last few years has changed the very definition of batting in ODI cricket. While Kohli has killed one run-chase after another, Rohit has eaten bowlers alive to satisfy his appetite for double hundreds.
While Kohli and Rohit were grabbing the headlines with their aggressive play, Dhawan was steadily putting in the work, crossing the 5,000-run mark with an impressive average of 44.62. These are elite numbers that would earn him superstar status in almost any other country. Unfortunately, within the context of the Indian team, he is frequently seen as a secondary character to the more celebrated duo.
However, Dhawan's narrative changes during ICC 50-over tournaments. In these high-pressure environments, he stops being the supporting player and becomes the lead protagonist for India. He truly thrives on the big stage, proving time and again that he rises to the occasion exactly when the team needs him most.
His knack for big tournaments dates back to 2004, where he hammered 505 runs at a staggering average of 84.16 to help India's U19 squad reach the semifinals. Though the transition to the senior national team took some time, he mirrored that early success the moment he stepped into his first major ICC event at the professional level.
During the 2013 Champions Trophy, Dhawan was the standout performer, topping the run charts with 363 runs at an average of 90.75 and proving instrumental in India's championship win. He kept this momentum going through the next two major events; in the 2015 World Cup, he contributed 412 runs at an average of 51.50. While he wasn't the overall top scorer of that tournament, he remained the most productive batsman in the Indian camp as they fought their way to the semifinals.
But old habits die hard!
He repeated this feat during the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, once again finishing as India's top run-scorer with 338 runs and a strong average of 67.60, helping the team reach the final.
This wasn't a one-off fluke; he's done it three times in a row. Given his track record of consistency and his drive to perform under pressure, there's every reason to believe he'll deliver another masterclass for the fifth time.
Written by: Prasenjit Dey