Shikhar Dhawan turns 34: 5 instances when 'Gabbar' owned a Test match from Ball 1

Indian opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan is well-known for decimating oppositions’ bowling attack at the top of the order. Upon his Test debut, the dazzling cricketer took the world by storm by cracking a herculean match-winning century against Australia in 2013. Since then, the maverick left-hander has plundered heaps of runs in the format.

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Shikhar Dhawan: A look at his 5 best Test innings from the birthday boy

187 vs Australia in Chandigarh, 2013

Shikhar Dhawan scored a scintillating 187 from just 170 balls and celebrated his Test debut in some style. He reached the three-figure mark off only his 85th delivery to score the fastest century by any batsman on Test debut. He smashed the likes of Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon on his way to a match-winning performance.

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173 vs Bangladesh in Fatullah, 2015

Shikhar Dhawan scored his third Test century in the form of a quickfire 173 against a hapless Bangladesh bowling attack. His innings came from just 195 balls and he formed a huge 283-run opening stand with Murali Vijay. Dhawan’s innings comprised of 23 boundaries during his five-hour stay at the crease.

115 vs New Zealand in Auckland, 2014

Under immense pressure against New Zealand, the Indian opener scored a patient 115 from 211 balls on a Day 5 pitch. It was his 1st Test century overseas and his dismissal led to a batting collapse during a stiff run-chase. India eventually fell short by just 40 runs to squander an opportunity of a series lead.

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107 vs Afghanistan in Bengaluru, 2018

Shikhar Dhawan smashed 107 from just 96 balls against Afghanistan in their first-ever Test match. During his whirlwind knock, he also became the first Indian Test batsman to score a century before lunch on Day 1. He was later adjudged as Player-of-the-Match as India won the match by an innings and 262 runs.

190 vs Sri Lanka in Galle, 2017

His 190 against Sri Lanka during 2017 tour remains his highest Test score till date. His innings came from just 168 balls as he led India’s rampaging charge against the hosts. Although he missed out on a double ton by 10 runs, this innings is one of the best ever played by an Indian opener so far.

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