MS Dhoni to star in Bollywood movie? Shikhar Dhawan makes colossal revelation

Shikhar Dhawan, known for his flamboyant batting and cheerful personality, has opened up about his earliest days in the Indian cricket team in his memoir, "The One: Cricket, My Life, and More." One of the most heartwarming stories in the book is Shikhar Dhawan’s first interaction with the former captain MS Dhoni during his maiden ODI call-up in 2010.

The former Indian opener recalled being starstruck by the legendary MS Dhoni's charisma, especially his iconic long hair and relaxed smile.

Shikhar Dhawan reveals his hilarious first conversation with MS Dhoni

Their first conversation quickly turned lighthearted when Dhawan, full of energy and excitement, told Dhoni that he wanted to play for India and make him a Bollywood hero. Dhawan said that his comments left his former Indian captain Dhoni in splits.

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As reported by PTI, Shikhar Dhawan wrote in his book, “I wanted to cast him in a Bollywood movie; he looked like a film star with that long hair and easy smile. We were having a chat about my motivation when I suddenly blurted out, ‘I want to play for India, and I want to make you a Bollywood hero!’ He threw back his head and laughed.”

Dhawan reflected on how, during his early days, social media hadn’t yet taken over. There was less public pressure, and players weren’t constantly under the microscope. At that time, newspapers and TV were strong, and opinions and narratives took longer to form and shift.

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Shikhar Dhawan opens up on playing in an era before social media hype

It was a world far different from today’s fast-paced and social media-driven reality, where a single post can turn a cricketer from a star to a villain and vice versa overnight. Notably, Dhawan represented India in all three formats of the game and scored over 2300 runs in Tests, nearly 6800 in ODIs, and over 1700 in T20Is.

The former left-handed batter wrote in the book, “When I was trying to break into the Indian side, social media was still nascent, and cricketers were under a lot less scrutiny. But other media platforms—print and broadcast—were thriving.

Team selections and individual cricket performances were discussed threadbare and had gained sufficient audience in the country. However, unlike the current times in which social media can transform cricketers from ‘hero’ to ‘zero’ almost overnight, narratives took a lot longer to change back in those days.”

Shikhar Dhawan recalls his forgettable ODI debut against Australia

Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan’s ODI debut in 2010 didn’t go as he had hoped. He was selected for the three-match ODI series, but the first and third games at Kochi and Margao were washed out by rain. Before the first match, Dhawan was so nervous he couldn’t sleep all night, but when he woke up, there was heavy rain and the game was cancelled.

Well, then the ‘Gabbar’ was determined to stay calm for the second ODI in Vizag, and he took a sleeping pill the night before to avoid another sleepless night. But when the big moment came, it ended in heartbreak as he was bowled for a duck by Clint McKay in the very first over.

Dhawan added, “I walked off from the crease with a smile pasted on my face, but inside, I was kicking myself hard. I had visualized myself playing dazzling shots and piling up a huge amount of runs for India for so long that I found it difficult to wrap the reality around my head.”

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