ICC events, where India’s ‘Gabbar’ roars the loudest

He is bound be your narrator for India at ICC events, doesn’t he? Shikhar Dhawan, having played an instrumental role in India’s 2017 Champions Trophy quest a couple of years back, yet again proved why he remains a doom even for the fieriest of bowlers out there.

Having had a cagey start against the Australian seamers’ short pitch approach, it seemed as if ‘Gabbar’ had done his homework to mere perfection. He took his time and had a few moments of anxiety on his way, but there was no looking back since.

En route to his fine century, several records were subdued, and several legends were outstripped. To start with, the ton he scored – his 17th – was the 27th ton by an Indian in the World Cup, which is actually more than the previous toppers Australia (26) and Sri Lanka (24). His knock also made him only the first Indian to score a ton against Australia in the World Cup.

The Oval remains Dhawan’s favourite hunting ground, to say the least. Sunday’s game against Australia was his fifth ODI inning at the venue and a century means he has now scored 443 runs, which includes three tons and a half-century.

His knock of 117 off 109 deliveries takes his total in ICC competitions to 1,238 runs in 20 matches with an impressive average of 65.15. Starting right from the beginning, the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, Dhawan showed glimpses of what was about to come. Scoring 363 runs, he ended up being the highest scorer of the tournament. The feat was duly followed in the subsequent tournament where the left-hander again ended his tenure as the highest scorer with 338 runs.

Dhawan may remain an erratic presence for India at times, and might divide opinions with his inconsistency, but his numbers at the ICC events are surely unquestionable. But Dhawan, who scored his sixed century at the ICC event (3 in Champions Trophy history, 2 in 2015 World Cup and one today), said it is just a coincidence that he somehow manages to get good numbers in ICC tournaments.

“I enjoy playing on this ground and my record in ICC tournaments is pretty good. I'm happy with the century. It's a great total and we are in a good position. I think it's a coincidence (I play well in ICC events),” he said during the post-match presentation.

India, overall, oozed confidence against Australia from every front, and to say Dhawan’s century laid down the foundation would be an understatement. He’s just started to make an impact and he has just started.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Dibyangshu Sarkar