52 in 36 deliveries, that was Shikhar Dhawan’s score as he walked towards the dressing room during the second T20I match between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday. 

Despite the massive 194-run target glaring at them at the beginning of the Indian innings, the southpaw in partnership with the deputy in charge, KL Rahul, managed to maintain the run rate of 10 through the initial overs which came in handy for Virat Kohli in the middle and Hardik Pandya after him.

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And yes, Pandya went on the offence after switching his bat in the final overs and secured the victory with two massive sixes in the final over, Dhawan’s brilliant half-century somehow got lost behind the all-rounder’s performance.

The game of cricket has not been kind to Shikhar Dhawan. Despite being one of the most talented and capable players in the history of the U-19 Indian cricket team, it took him 10 years to make it to the senior team.

And ever since his debut, Dhawan has been marred by injuries, criticism and failures... Lots and lots of failures. 

The two-time Golden Bat winner at the ICC Champions Trophy tournaments is often looked down upon as a player who only performs in ICC tournaments and is unable to show up during the bilateral series that go on throughout the year.

With 338 runs at an average of 67.60, Shikhar Dhawan claims the Golden Bat award #CT17 #PAKvIND pic.twitter.com/UlwW8Oznjd

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) June 18, 2017

He has talked about facing defeat and disappointment in the past. In an interview with Hindustan Times in 2017, the lefty acknowledged his bumpy road to glory.

“I know that it’s a race that never ends. I can always come back. If someone has gone ahead of me, I can go ahead of them again. And that’s how my mentality has become,” he had said back then.

“You fall one time and then you fall again and again, but then you still move on. I feel failures are very important. Today, of course, people feel failures are very bad or they make it look like that. But they are the things that teach you. I always embrace failures, I was never frustrated with them,” he had explained.

505 runs in the ICC U19 World Cup, most ever in a tournament, 701 in 2 Champions trophies, highest run-getter in both, 412 runs in the 2015 WC with 2 centuries. And a century in 2019 before getting injured.
Happy birthday Shikhar Dhawan, always raises his game for the big ones. pic.twitter.com/oOdxsrs8LC

— Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj) December 5, 2020

This was three years ago. Dhawan was 32, the same age that skipper Virat Kohli is of today. In 2017, those words would not have made such an impact. Dhawan was supposed to be at the prime of his career, that was the time he had to make the most out of and yet, injuries and bad form continued to haunt him.

Today, at 35, the man continues to live by those principles.

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After India won the second T20I and with that secured the series in their favour, analyst Harsha Bhogle returned to the curious case of Shikhar Dhawan. He made an argument about how every time people feel Dhawan’s time to call it a career has come, he somehow manages to bounce back and say “Nope. Not Yet”.

Ahead of the 2019 season of the Indian Premier League, Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Poting tried a new method, an Australian method, I’d like to say, to push the Indian opener to take more credibility, more responsibility for his squad’s success, to score quicker. 

Would have liked to see Shikhar Dhawan scoring a bit quicker: Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting laments loss against Chennai Super Kings https://t.co/1VAIh0Cqdh pic.twitter.com/b0V03axaay

— Sortiwa (@Sortiwa) March 27, 2019

Least to say, it worked out perfectly. Just check out his stormy batting for Delhi during the latest edition of the Indian T20 league in which he became the only batsman ever to score consecutive centuries in a single season. 

✔️ Player of the tournament in U19 World Cup, 2004
✔️ Fastest Test centurion on debut
✔️ Only player to get consecutive Golden Bats at Champions Trophy
✔️ Only player with consecutive centuries in IPL history

Shikhar Dhawan turns 35 today🥂 pic.twitter.com/BdToY5oyfO

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) December 5, 2020

“This is a new Shikhar Dhawan that we are seeing,” agreed Bhogle and Sanjay Manjrekar, in a rare moment on television.

“He used to take some time to settle in before trying to hit big shots,” said Harsha. “Now, he plays while not worrying about his wicket that much and it allows him to score quicker. It has to be Ricky Ponting’s challenge.”

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the longevity of his career comes to mind whenever you think about how a player managed to prolong the prime of his international cricket stint. 

Of course, a fact that worked out in Dhoni’s favour was how rare he used to get injured despite having the most unorthodox batting style and all the fatigue that went into keeping the wicket - an absolute freak of nature, I believe.

Not everyone is blessed with such endurance. 

Dhawan might have one or two more years to wear that Blue and Orange jersey but the mentality that he brings to the pitch every single time, especially while bouncing back… that’s something that comes from a strong mind and an even stronger heart.

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