Shikhar Dhawan Turns Author With Tell-All Memoir ‘The One’

Jatin

Shikhar Dhawan [Source: @RRCricBook/x.com]Shikhar Dhawan [Source: @RRCricBook/x.com]

Shikhar Dhawan has always been more than just a cricketing showman. The moustache twirls, the thigh slaps, the celebratory roars, those were just the highlights but now, the southpaw has peeled off the outer layers and served us something deeper, something from the heart.

Shikhar Dhawan Debuts As Author And Shares His Rawest Side Yet

Gabbar’s wielding a pen now. And just like his bat, he is swinging it with flair. Titled The One: Cricket, My Life and More, Shikhar Dhawan’s debut memoir is anything but a PR-safe snoozefest. It’s raw. It’s vulnerable. And it lays bare all the ups and downs from Delhi gallis to dressing rooms, heartbreaks to headlines.

“Cricket gave me purpose, but it was the journey with the highs, the falls and the quiet moments, that truly shaped me as a man I am today,” writes Dhawan.

“This is me sharing that journey from the heart – raw, honest and unfiltered.”

Before the world knew him as India’s flamboyant opener, Shikhar was just another Delhi lad juggling roles in school cricket. He actually began as a wicketkeeper until destiny had other plans.

The book walks us through those gritty days, where making it to the top meant grinding it out in the heat, surviving the cut-throat Delhi circuit and proving yourself every single weekend.

MS Dhoni, Bollywood And The Big Debut

There’s a delightful nugget where Dhawan recalls seeing MS Dhoni for the first time.

"I wanted to cast him in a Bollywood movie; he looked like a film star with that long hair and easy smile.”

He also revealed what he told Dhoni.

“I want to play for India and I want to make you a Bollywood hero!”

That’s classic Gabbar.

But even fairytales have rough starts. His India debut came in 2010 against Australia, and the nerves were all over the place. So much so that he couldn’t sleep before his first game and even popped a sleeping pill before the second ODI just to calm his system.

When the game finally began, it was over for Dhawan before it even started. Clean bowled for a duck by Clint McKay.

“I walked off from the crease with a smile pasted on my face, but inside, I was kicking myself hard,” he confesses.

Life, Scrutiny And Curveballs

Back then, social media wasn’t breathing down every cricketer’s neck. Dhawan writes about how narratives moved slower in those days. One bad game didn’t mean you were suddenly the villain. But even then, the pressure was no joke.

He talks about that scrutiny, both on and off the field and how it shaped the man he became. The heartbreaks, the trolling, the setbacks and the roaring comebacks, Dhawan puts it all on the table.

Whether you are a die-hard Dhawan fan, a cricket buff or just someone who loves a good underdog story, The One might just hit you in the feels.

Because behind the swagger and the celebrations, there is a man who has been knocked down more times than he can count. And yet, every single time, he got back up with a smile, a slap on the thigh and another crack at life.