Former Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan opened up on breaking the world record of fastest century on Test debut and winning the golden bat for most runs in two successive ICC Champions Trophy tournaments, saying that before he made it to the national side, he manifested these things and used to write them down in a journal. In an exclusive interview with ANI, Dhawan spoke on his Test debut against Australia in 2013. Dhawan had slammed an 85-ball ton, breaking the record for fastest Test ton on debut.
He ended with 187 in 174 balls, with 33 fours and two sixes, at a strike rate of 107.47, playing a key role in India’s win. He also claimed the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
Speaking on evolving his game over the years, Dhawan said that he could do it because of his experience in domestic cricket, particularly the red-ball competition, Ranji Trophy.
“I played a lot of Ranji Trophy. I had experience from there. Then when I came to Test Match, I brought all that experience with me. Another thing which worked for me was… I used a lot of the law of attraction. I manifested a lot of things. I am a big manifester and I keep on manifesting things in my life and I turn my dreams into reality. I would say your mindset is more important than your destiny. How is your thinking? At what frequency are you vibrating? And… Are you your own best friend or a victim? Because a person talks to himself the most. So what quality do you talk about? That matters a lot. So I made a world record. Before that, all the things… Years before breaking into the team, I was keeping a journal. And I had written everything, that I am making world records and all that. I am the best batsman. Everything came true for me, Dhawan told ANI.
Shikhar said that he was not aware during the Test match that he broke that record.
“When I came in (after being out), I knew that I had made a record. As a debutant. Yes, I won the match as well. I also made the man of the match in that match. In my second inning, my hand broke while fielding. After that, I went out of the team. So, all those things make me very happy and then everyone congratulates you. So, when you get appreciation in your life, of course, it feels good. Within one day, your life…Like, I was a debutant and after that, the coverage done about my record was so different and heavy. It was ‘Zameen Asmaan ka difference” (a lot of difference). So, the media also appreciated my performance. And from there, my name, Gabbar, grew. I got this name before that, from Ranji Trophy. But from there, my name grew. And again, I manifested all those things in my life. I used to see I am making world records,” he added.
Shikhar said that it is important for people to learn self-belief and confidence.
“Like people say, there should be self-belief. So how do you create that self-belief? What is the art of creating self-belief? How do you create self-belief so that you are always confident in a situation or in uncertain situations as well? When pressure is going to come, how are you going to handle all those things with a calm mind? Those are all the arts that I feel people should learn. For those who do not know and those who get cracked in a pressure situation. It is an art to learn,” he added.
The left-handed batter said that when he made his comeback during the Champions Trophy 2013 in the UK after a while of being in and out of the team, he made a century in the opening game against South Africa. During this time, he would often tell himself that he is already doing well, instead of telling himself that he has to do well.
“I used to write that I’m the golden bat in Champions Trophy and I am scoring so many centuries and dominating the game. I am the man for my team. I used to affirm all those things and I’m the only batsman who has won two golden bats in the Champions Trophy. So, all those things happened. And I enjoyed the journey,” he concluded.
Shikhar dominated the ICC Champions Trophy, scoring 363 runs in five matches during the 2013 title-winning edition, with two centuries and a fifty. In the 2017 edition, during which India finished runners-up to Pakistan, he made 338 runs in five matches, with a century and two fifties. He is India’s top-run-getter ever in the tournament and overall at third spot.
In his illustrious career, runs effortlessly came off Dhawan’s bat. He represented India across all formats, but ODI was his forte. In 167 appearances, the southpaw produced swashbuckling performances and racked up 6,793 runs at an average of 44.1, including 17 centuries and 39 fifties.
In the longest format of cricket, where he stitched up memorable partnerships with Murali Vijay, Dhawan garnered 2,315 runs in 34 matches at an average of 40.6. His Test career was laced with seven tons and five half-centuries.
In the T20I format, Dhawan made 68 appearances and scored 1,759 runs at an average of 27.9, including 11 fifties.
In the domestic circuit, Dhawan played 122 first-class cricket matches and handsomely scored 8,499 runs at an average of 44.26, including 25 centuries and 29 fifties.
In List A, Dhawan played 302 matches and scored a whopping 12,074 runs at an average of 43.90. His remarkable statistics are further glistened by 30 centuries and 67 half-centuries.
Dhawan is also the second-highest run-getter of all time in the Indian Premier League (IPL), scoring 6,769 runs in 222 matches at an average of 35.25, with two centuries and 51 fifties.
He also secured an ICC Champions Trophy with India in 2013 and an IPL title with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2016.
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