Dhawan's rise thanks to romance and Facebook
ESPNcricinfo staff
22-Feb-2015
Shikhar Dhawan turned his form around with a century that set up India's win over South Africa in Melbourne but, writes Dileep Premachandran in the Guardian, his rise from misguided talent to international match-winner is even more intriguing:
We do not know whether Shikhar Dhawan possesses a Moleskine notebook or not but if he was ever to jot down his story, it should surprise no one if it was titled: How Facebook Changed My Life. Back in 2004 he had been the leading run-scorer at an Under-19 World Cup. After that, he spent more than half a decade treading water. There would be the odd sparkling innings for Delhi but as the years passed, those that watched him wondered how badly he wanted to make the step up. Those younger than him - Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma being the most prominent names - established themselves in the Indian side even as he remained on the fringes.
Then, Dhawan came across the Melbourne-based Ayesha Mukherjee, of British-Bengali origin, on Harbhajan Singh's Facebook friends' list. On an impulse he sent her a friend request. By late 2009 they were engaged. They married in 2012. A year later Dhawan destroyed Australia on his Test debut, carrying that form forward into the Champions Trophy, where he was player of the tournament.