Former India cricketer Shikhar Dhawan has made candid revelations about his personal life in his autobiography The One: Cricket, My Life and More. Among the most talked-about disclosures is an incident from the 2006 India A tour of Australia, where Dhawan admitted to sneaking his girlfriend into the hotel room he shared with teammate Rohit Sharma.
Driven by intense feelings, Dhawan described how he fell in love with an Englishwoman named Ellen during the tour. “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,’” Dhawan wrote, as quoted by Sportstar.
He went on to detail how he would meet Ellen after matches and even smuggle her into the room he shared with Rohit Sharma. “Now and then, he would complain in Hindi: ‘Will you let me sleep?'” Dhawan recalled.
The relationship quickly became a hot topic within the team. According to Dhawan, a senior national selector even saw the couple holding hands in the hotel lobby during dinner. “It didn’t even occur to me to let go of her hand because to me, we were committing no crime,” he wrote.
A Remarkable Cricket Career
Beyond the personal anecdotes, Dhawan’s cricketing journey remains a testament to his talent and consistency. The left-handed opener represented India in 167 ODIs, 68 T20Is, and 34 Tests, amassing 6,793 runs in ODIs at an impressive average of 44. Known for his stellar performances in ICC tournaments, Dhawan was a key figure in India’s white-ball setup for years.
Despite his strong record, he was not selected for the 2023 ODI World Cup squad. Dhawan last played for India in December 2022 against Bangladesh and officially announced his retirement from international cricket in 2024.
Regarded as one of the finest Indian openers in the modern era, Dhawan’s book offers fans an inside look at both the highs of his cricketing career and the personal experiences that shaped him off the field.