Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan, known for his candid personality and cheerful demeanor, has shared a deeply personal and unexpected story from his early cricketing days in his newly released autobiography. Reflecting on his 2006 India A tour to Australia, Dhawan recalled a youthful romance that not only captured his heart but also stirred attention within the squad.
In an excerpt quoted by Sportstar, Dhawan narrated how he met a woman—whom he refers to as “Ellen” (name changed)—during the tour and quickly fell for her. “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.
The left-handed batsman revealed that he would often sneak her into the hotel room he was sharing with then-roommate and now-India skipper Rohit Sharma. According to Dhawan, Rohit would occasionally express his frustration, jokingly asking in Hindi, “Will you let me sleep?”
The situation escalated when Dhawan was seen walking hand-in-hand with Ellen in the hotel lobby by a senior selector accompanying the squad. “It didn’t occur to me that I should let go of her hand, because to me, we were committing no crime,” Dhawan recounted.
While his romantic escapades became a talking point among teammates, Dhawan admitted that his on-field performance suffered during the tour. “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,” he reflected.
Dhawan went on to become one of India’s most successful ODI openers, representing the country in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is. He accumulated 6,793 runs in ODIs at an average of 44.11, including 17 centuries and 39 half-centuries. In Tests, he scored 2,315 runs at an average of 40.61, with seven centuries to his name.
His candid revelation offers fans a rare glimpse into the personal side of a cricketer widely admired for his flamboyant stroke play and ever-present smile on the field.