Former Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan has always worn his heart on his sleeve — both on and off the field. In a candid chapter from his newly released autobiography The One: Cricket, My Life and More, Dhawan takes readers back to a lesser-known episode from 2006, when his personal life collided head-on with his cricketing ambitions during an India A tour to Australia.

The story centers around a young Dhawan, swept off his feet by a woman he refers to as "Ellen" (a pseudonym), and how he began sneaking her into his hotel room — one he happened to be sharing with none other than Rohit Sharma.

“She was beautiful, and suddenly I was in love again,” Dhawan writes, recalling how quickly he became enamored. “I thought to myself, ‘She is the one for me, and I am going to marry her.’”

At the time, Dhawan had begun the tour on a promising note, scoring a half-century in a practice match. But his off-field distractions soon began to overshadow his performance. Late-night rendezvous with Ellen often left his roommate, Rohit, sleep-deprived.

“Now and then, he would complain in Hindi, ‘Will you let me sleep?’” Dhawan shares with a touch of humor.

The situation took a turn when Dhawan and Ellen were spotted hand-in-hand by a senior national selector while walking through the hotel lobby. News of the romance quickly spread among teammates. Still, Dhawan remained unfazed.

“It didn’t even occur to me that I should let go of her hand, because to me, we were committing no crime,” he writes.

But while love was in the air, Dhawan's form on the field began to dip. “There was a good chance that if I had performed consistently on that Australia tour, I would have made it to the senior Indian side,” he reflects.

Despite the misstep, both Dhawan and Rohit Sharma went on to carve out iconic careers — eventually forming one of India’s most successful opening partnerships in white-ball cricket. Their chemistry was pivotal in India’s triumphant 2013 Champions Trophy campaign, where they laid solid foundations at the top of the order.

Dhawan, known for his flamboyant strokeplay and big-match temperament, retired from international cricket after being sidelined in December 2022. During his time in the India jersey he played 34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is for India, and scored over 10,000 international runs.

His ODI career alone boasts 6,793 runs at an average of 44.11, including 17 centuries and 39 half-centuries.

As for that 2006 tour — it may not have been the launchpad Dhawan hoped for in terms of selection, but it certainly gave him a story worth telling. And like most things in his life, he tells it with honesty, flair, and a dash of mischief.

His ODI career alone boasts 6,793 runs at an average of 44.11, including 17 centuries and 39 half-centuries.

As for that 2006 tour — it may not have been the launchpad Dhawan hoped for in terms of selection, but it certainly gave him a story worth telling. And like most things in his life, he tells it with honesty, flair, and a dash of mischief.