Shikhar Dhawan has shared a personal chapter from his early cricketing journey in his newly released autobiography. The former Indian opener detailed a romantic escapade that unfolded during the 2006 India A tour to Australia—a story involving secrecy, distraction, and a young Rohit Sharma as his roommate.
Shikhar Dhawan Sharing Tour Anecdote
While on tour, Dhawan fell for a woman he refers to as Ellen (a pseudonym), and their connection quickly intensified. “She was very beautiful, and suddenly I was in love again! I thought to myself, ‘She is the one for me, and I am going to marry her,'” he wrote. What followed was a risky decision; sneaking her into the hotel room he was sharing with teammate Rohit Sharma.
Despite a promising start to the tour, Dhawan admitted that his attention started drifting from cricket. “I started with a half-century in a practice game, and my tour was progressing well. After every game, I would go over to meet up with Ellen… and I soon started smuggling her into my hotel room which I was sharing with Rohit Sharma,” he recalled.
Naturally, Sharma grew irritated. “Now and then, he would complain in Hindi. ‘Will you let me sleep?’”
Their secret didn’t stay under wraps for long. One night, Dhawan and Ellen were seen walking hand-in-hand through the hotel lobby. “A senior national selector, who was on tour with us, spotted us… It didn’t even occur to me that I should let go of her hand, because to me, we were committing no crime.”
But the romance had unintended consequences. “There was a good chance that if I had performed consistently on that Australia tour, I would have made it to the senior Indian side, but my performance kept dipping.”
Stellar Career
Despite the distractions on that tour, Dhawan went on to build a stellar career for India. He represented the country in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is. In ODIs, he scored 6793 runs at an average of 44.11, including 17 centuries. His Test record boasts 2315 runs with 7 centuries to his name.
The anecdote adds a humorous, human touch to Dhawan’s career and offers fans a glimpse into the early days of two modern Indian cricket greats.
