Five achievements of Shikhar Dhawan to show why he is India's game-changer
- Shikhar Dhawan became the fastest Indian to reach the 1000 runs milestone
- He is the top scorer in ICC Champions Trophy 2017 so far
- He is the only batsman with a strike rate of more than 100 in Champions Trophy with more than 500 runs
FollowIndia’s win against South Africa on June 11, 2017, was memorable in more than one ways. Not only did India advance to the semi-finals of ICC Champions Trophy 2017 but opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan became the fastest Indian to reach the 1000 runs milestone.
Shikhar Dhawan is a different man in ICC events. His average in the Champions Trophy is now 92.66. Back in the 2004 Under-19 World Cup he scored 505 runs at an average of 84.16, hitting three centuries in seven innings.
India won the 2013 Champions Trophy in England riding on Shikhar Dhawan’s brilliant performance in the tournament. From almost being dropped from the team to becoming the highest run scorer Shikhar Dhawan sure has come a long way.
- Quickest to 1000 runs
Shikhar Dhawan became the fastest batsman to score 1000 runs in International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments, surpassing batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar. Dhawan 1000 runs came after he hit a boundary off South African leg-spinner Tahir Shah. Shikhar Dhawan achieved this feat in just 16 innings. Sachin Tendulkar now stands in the second position. He took 18 innings to achieve this feat. This is followed by Sourav Ganguly at third with 20 innings.
- Player of the series in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013
Dhawan is a juggernaut in the Champions Trophy. He was the leading run-getter and won the Man-of-the-Series award in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. Dhawan's 114 off 94 balls against South Africa in the first game of the 2013 Champions Trophy helped India reach 331 and start the tournament with a win. In India's next game, they had to chase West Indies' 233 and Dhawan made it easy with a century.
- Top run scorer in ICC champions Trophy 2017 (so far)
Shikhar Dhawan is probably doing a repeat of 2013 this year. Although he has had a rough international career in recent times, he has more than made up for it in the ICC Champions Trophy. In three matches he has scored 271 with the highest score of 125 against Sri Lanka.
- 90-plus average
In 2013, he averaged 90.75 at a strike rate of 101, with two hundreds in five innings. His average in the Champions Trophy is now 92.66. He has the most runs in ICC ODI tournaments since 2013 at 968 runs. Dhawan also became the fourth batsman in the history of the Champions Trophy to get three consecutive scores over fifty after Saeed Anwar, Marcus Trescothick and Kane WilliamsonÂ
- Only batsman with strike rate of 100
Shikhar Dhawan is now the only batsman with a strike rate of 100 with minimum 500 runs. He now averages more than 130 in the Champions Trophy.
