Belligerent and jovial southpaw opener
How
much India missed Shikhar Dhawan in the 2019 semi-final, we will never know,
had injury not forced him out of the tournament after a brilliant century.
Shikhar Dhawan has been Rohit Sharma’s long-time opening partner in One-day Internationals. A study in contrast, they complement each other well. Apart from the obvious left-right combination, while one is belligerent and forthright, the other has a silken touch and is seemingly laidback. Ever ready to break into a smile, the slap on the thigh after taking a catch has become as much of a hallmark as the salute by Sheldon Cottrell after taking a wicket. There is always a sense of fun when Dhawan is around, and he can score serious runs too.
Walking out with Rohit, facing Pakistan on World Cup debut in 2015, it was a quiet start. The partnership did not go further than 34 off 7.3 overs. Rohit fell for 15. There was steady progress with the arrival of Virat Kohli, the fifty of the partnership coming up in 10.1 overs. With the increase in tempo, Dhawan went to his half-century off 54 deliveries. The century of the stand was raised in 18.3 overs. Unfortunately, Dhawan was run out. His splendid 73 had come off 76 balls, having struck a six and 7 fours. The partnership yielded 129 runs in 22.2 overs. There was another century stand between Kohli (107) and Suresh Raina (74). India scored a round 300 for the loss of seven wickets. Pakistan were slow to begin with, then lost quick wickets, and were finally all out for 224.
It was Rohit’s turn to be run out and that, tragically, for a duck as A.B. de Villiers’ throw from the covers hit the stumps. It was again Kohli in tandem with Dhawan. Gradually, they picked up momentum in the face of steady bowling by the Proteas. The fifty of the partnership was posted in 11.5 overs. Dhawan raised his half-century off 70 balls. Dhawan struck Wayne Parnell for two consecutive fours bringing up the century stand in 20.3 overs, a successive one between the pair. Kohli pulled a short one from Imran Tahir into the hands of mid-wicket. His 46 had come off 60 deliveries with the aid of three boundaries. The partnership had realised 127 runs in 24.2 overs. As the new man Ajinkya Rahane got into his stride, Dhawan glided Parnell to the ropes at point to raise his maiden World Cup hundred off 122 balls. Soon the fifty of the partnership was up in 8.1 overs. With runs flowing freely, the century stand in 13.4 overs and Rahane’s half-century off just 40 deliveries came off successive balls. Dhawan was caught at long-leg off Parnell. His 137 was the highest score against South Africa in the World Cup, spanning 146 balls and studded with 2 sixes and 14 fours. It was a 125-run association from 16.3 overs. Rahane scored 79, having faced 60 balls and struck 3 sixes and 7 fours. India, this time, posted 307 for seven. South Africa did not put up much resistance, being bowled out for 177. Dhawan bagged the man-of-the-match prize.
India trounced United Arab Republic by nine wickets but Dhawan was caught at backward-point for 14.
Both Dhawan (9) and Rohit (7) fell early as India made heavy weather of a target of 183 set by the West Indies. They eventually pulled off a six-wicket win.
They were both due for runs, and they duly got them. Ireland scored 259 runs, being bowled out in 49 overs. India’s batting was brilliant. The fifty was registered off 8.2 overs. The century was raised in 14.1 overs. Dhawan was first to his fifty off 54 balls. Rohit hoisted his half-century in style, having faced 49 deliveries. The 150 was up off 20.1 overs. Dhawan was speeding away. Rohit, though, played on to his stumps. His 64 came off 66 balls, having hit 3 sixes and 3 fours. The partnership realised 174 runs, record for India for the first wicket in the World Cup. Dhawan breezed to his century from just 84 deliveries. But he was caught in the covers off the very next ball that he faced, having blasted 5 sixes and 11 fours. Kohli (44 not out) and Rahane (33 not out) carried India to an eight-wicket victory off only 36.5 overs with an unbroken stand of 70. Dhawan won another man-of-the-match award.
A superb century by skipper Brendan Taylor, a consecutive one to boot, enabled Zimbabwe to post a challenging total of 287. India lost four wickets for 92 in 22.4 overs, including Rohit (16) and Dhawan (4), both to Tinashe Panyangara. But a tremendous unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 196 in 26 overs between Suresh Raina (110 not out) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (85 not out) carried India to a four-wicket triumph with 8 balls to spare. It was India’s highest partnership in a run-chase, bettering the 174-run stand between Dhawan and Rohit against Ireland in the previous match. India’s score of 288 was their highest batting second in the World Cup, and they joined New Zealand as the only teams to win all their six pool matches.
Boundaries came regularly at the start in the quarter-final face-off with Bangladesh. Rohit and Dhawan raised the fifty in 9.3 overs. They were cantering along when Dhawan stepped out at the sight of Shakib Al Hasan, was deceived in the air and stumped by Mushfiqur Rahim. His 30 had come off 50 balls with the aid of 3 fours. The partnership had realised 75 runs in 16.3 overs. The platform had been built. Rohit went on to score a brilliant 137 (126 balls, 3 sixes, 14 fours). His fourth-wicket stand of 122 in 15.5 overs with Suresh Raina spurred India to a formidable total of 302 for six. Bangladesh were hardly in the picture with a series of cameos and finally folded up for 193.
A superb century by Steve Smith and his defining 182-run second-wicket partnership with Aaron Finch seized the initiative for Australia. A total of 328 for seven assumes gigantic proportions in a World Cup knock-out encounter. As long as Rohit and Dhawan were together, it looked as though they were making a fight of it. After a cautious start, they picked up pace. They raised the fifty off 9.5 overs. It was all going well, and it all went wrong! Dhawan was caught in the covers off Josh Hazlewood. His 45 was scored off 41 balls with the aid of a six and 6 fours. The stand was worth 76 in 12.5 overs. Wickets began tumbling, Kohli for 1, Rohit for 34, Raina for 7. In the blink of an eye, India were 108 for four in 23 overs. Rahane (44) and Dhoni (65) did put on 70 in 13.2 overs but the momentum had been lost, and too many wickets had fallen. India folded up for 233. A golden streak of 11 consecutive World Cup wins had ended.
It was a fine tournament for Dhawan. He became the fourth Indian to score 400-plus runs in a single World Cup, the others being Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. His 412 runs in 8 matches came at an average of 51.50, and strike-rate of 91.75, with 2 centuries and a half-century.
It was a fine start for India in 2019, restricting South Africa to 227 for nine. Dhawan, though, was caught behind off Kagiso Rabada for 8. Rohit went on to score a splendid 122 (144 balls, 2 sixes, 13 fours), and India sailed to a six-wicket triumph.
Batting first against Australia, Rohit and Dhawan were off to a steady start. A boundary each off Adam Zampa took the score past 50 in 11.3 overs. The boundaries kept coming. Dhawan raised his fifty off 53 balls. The hundred of the innings was up in 19 overs. Rohit was caught at the wicket off Coulter-Nile for 57, having faced 70 balls and hit a six and 3 fours. The partnership had realised 127 runs in 22.3 overs. Joined by Kohli, Dhawan blazed on. The fifty of their stand arrived in 8.3 overs. Dhawan raised his hundred from 94 balls. Trying to hit Mitchell Starc over mid-wicket, he was caught near the ropes. It was a fine 117, spanning 109 deliveries and studded with 16 boundaries. The stand fell short of 100 by just 7 runs, having lasted 14.3 overs. Kohli scored 82, and India piled up 352 for five. It was a tall task, the Aussies were in hot pursuit but produced no really big innings. They finished on 316.
Just as India were celebrating a glorious win over the reigning champions, and complimenting Dhawan for his terrific century, came the sobering news that he had injured his thumb during that innings, and was ruled out of the rest of the tournament. Sachin Tendulkar tweeted, “Feel for you Shikhar. You were playing well & to be injured in the middle of such an important tournament is heartbreaking. I’m sure you’ll come back stronger than ever.” How much his injury affected India’s chances, we will never know. Maybe his presence in the semi-final might have helped, but that broad smile was certainly missed. Dhawan has 537 runs in his 10-match stint in the World Cup with an average of 53.70 and strike-rate of 94.21 runs per 100 balls, with 3 hundreds and a fifty. The combination of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma provided many a memorable moment at the top of the order.
