Shikhar Dhawan has established himself as a key member of India’s batting line-up in the years since first arriving on the international scene as a cricketer recognised for his facial hair as much as his on-field ability.

The Dehli native toiled away in first-class cricket for six years before finally earning his call-up to India’s one-day international side in 2010. He made a debut he would rather forget, dismissed for a duck, but when he had his second chance in the national side eight months later he made up for it with a maiden fifty.

His Test debut did not come until 2013 but when it finally came Dhawan did it in style smashing 187 off 174 balls against Australia.

Now a regular member of the international side, Dhawan is maintaining an average above 40 in Test and ODI cricket. He shines in colored clothing, with honorable records including being India’s highest scorer at the 2015 World Cup, the fastest Indian to reach 3,000 ODI runs, and the record holder for most runs in a T20 calendar year.

When not travelling with the national team, Dhawan lives an unassuming life with his wife and children in South-East Melbourne.