While Virat Kohli established himself as arguably India’s greatest Test captain during his long stint in the role, it often came at some cost as he was notorious for chopping and changing the shape of his team. Several players fell victim to this tendency after even the briefest runs of quiet form, as Kohli’s tinkering left even high-quality players out in the cold on more than one occasion.
One such cricketer who often found himself on the wrong end of Kohli’s changes was opener Shikhar Dhawan, who was in and out of the Test team during his career. Speaking on Ranveer Allahbadia’s new YouTube show called ‘Taakat’, Dhawan reflected on the innings that saw him temporarily dropped as India’s Test opener in 2016, following a quiet run of form that he knew put his place in the team on the line. This was a period that Dhawan views as the darkest during his international career for India.
“The most difficult phase of my career, there was a time when I was really desperate. I knew that if I don’t score runs I would be out of the team. We had a Test match in Kolkata, against New Zealand,” explained Dhawan. “First innings I got out, second innings I went out and got hit by a ball by Trent Boult, it broke my arm.
“I knew that if I choose to sit out of that innings, I would be out of that team. So I decided no, I’m going to play, I’m going to see out the innings. Pehle hi mara hua toh hoon, toh puura marke jaun na (I’m dead either way, so might as well die completely on the pitch and go out)” said Dhawan.
‘People live like kings here…’
Dhawan’s match at Eden Gardens against New Zealand came at the end of a stretch of eight Test matches without a Test century and only one half-century, which led to captain Virat Kohli and the selectors looking elsewhere.
“I played with a broken arm, got out on 15-20 runs, and after that I was out of the Test team. Then I realised that when I introspected, I was too desperate for that place. It’s a very valuable place, people live like kings there. I was cribbing a little. I did put in a lot of work, but I worked with a desperate energy. That’s why I didn’t get the results. So I asked myself, what is most important for me in life? Happiness is most important, that I stay happy,” stated Dhawan.Â
“This was my dream, and I lived out my dream, set a world record, and I knew this would never stop, it would keep going. The race will never stop, someone will always be there,” he continued, referencing his debut century against Australia in Mohali, which stands as the quickest ton by a player on debut in Test cricket.
Dhawan’s comeback after his removal from team
“I started work on myself internally. I’ll be happy, if I have to be in the Indian team, the Indian team will come to me itself,” said Dhawan. “That’s how I played in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.”
Dhawan’s patience and persistence did bear fruits, as he returned a year after that episode in Kolkata and announced himself with a score of 190 in Galle on his return. His comeback followed in the wake of the 2017 Champions Trophy, in which he finished as the top scorer in the tournament with 338 runs in India’s run to the final. However, Dhawan would once again be dropped from the Test team in 2018, his final match coming against England at the Oval in London.
