Shikhar Dhawan

In an Age Controlled by Professional Image Consultants, Public Figures Are Usually Well Prepared With Appropriate Answers for Interviewers, Even in Their Sleep. Thus, When We Spent a Day With Shikhar Dhawan (Who Made a Comeback to International Cricket This Year With Back-to-back ‘man of the Series’ Trophies), It Was Initially Like Any Other Interaction With a Star Cricketer. As the Day Progressed, Though, the Southpaw Became More Candid, and by the Time We Said Goodbye, the Layers Concealing the Man Inside the Celebrity Had Disappeared.

- Alshaar Khan

THE BRAND SESSION 1

It was a warm October morning in Mumbai, blanketed in a cloud of gunpowder fumes, fresh from the Diwali shenanigans of the previous night. I was accompanied by Shikhar Dhawan’s manager en route to the airport to receive the cricketer, as he arrived in the city ahead of the first ODI against the touring New Zealand Black Caps, at the Wankhede Stadium. With the build of an athlete, a firm handshake and everything else screaming ‘Delhi’, he was exactly what I had perceived of him from his on-field persona. Only the famously twirled moustache was absent, which he confessed to having grown bored of. “Diwali was relaxed. Had a nice time with the family,” our conversation began. The car rolled out of the VIP parking lot, and my mention of the word ‘cricket’ somewhat released the foot off the pedal of awkwardness.