New Delhi: Former Team India opener Shikhar Dhawan has shared a shocking story from the early days of his playing career. Dhawan revealed that he secretly brought his girlfriend into the hotel room, which he was sharing with Rohit Sharma.

The opener met a woman during India A tour of Australia in 2007 and formed a strong bond with her. He also believed that she might be his life partner. Dhawan wrote in his autobiography that she was very beautiful, and suddenly he was in love again.

The opener had a brilliant start in the tour but he admitted that his focus shifted as he spent more time with his girlfriend. “I thought to myself, ‘She is the one for me, and I am going to marry her’. After every game, I would go over to meet up with Ellen” Dhawan wrote in his autobiography ‘The One: Cricket, My Life and More’.

Dhawan further revealed that he soon started smuggling her into his hotel room, which he was sharing with Rohit Sharma. Now and then, Rohit would complain in Hindi. ‘Will you let me sleep?’.

A senior selector spotted him with Ellen in the hotel lobby, and the news of him having a girlfriend spread like a fire in the team. Dhawan also wrote that there was a good chance of his senior debut if he had performed consistently on that tour, but his performance kept dipping.

The story of Shikhar Dhawan’s life, told by the man himself.

Presenting The One, the much-anticipated memoir by @SDhawan25!

From growing up as a middle-class boy in Delhi to becoming one of India’s most celebrated openers, Dhawan traces the highs and lows of an extraordinary… pic.twitter.com/Oqi8FKCzbk

— HarperCollins (@HarperCollinsIN) June 26, 2025

Shikhar Dhawan’s career

Dhawan is known for his brilliant stroke play and has delivered many match-winning performances for the team. The opener made his international debut in 2010 and was the highest run-getter in the 2013 Champions Trophy, amassing 363 runs in five matches.

He last played for India in December 2022 against Bangladesh and announced his retirement in August 2024. Dhawan has played 167 ODI matches, 68 T20Is and 34 Tests. He found success in the ODI format as scored 6793 runs at an average of 44.11. He has amassed 2315 runs at an average of 40.61, which includes seven hundreds and 5 fifties.