Review: The One by Shikhar Dhawan

The One follows the archaic and tired formula of an autobiography - childhood, journey into a prominent cricketer, addressing the controversies surface-level and ending with retirement and after-career life.

This trap is difficult to avoid. But is it really that hard? Ashwin did it with aplomb in “I have the Streets”. Anderson somewhat managed to do it in ‘Finding the Edge’. It is always exciting to meet the human behind the cricketer but the narrative needs to be interesting enough to make the reader a part of the world. Sadly, that doesn't happen here.

Talking about positives, Dhawan is honest. He lays bare his personality, accepts the mistakes he has made and puts forward his point of view in a lucid manner. The West Delhi references were relatable, as I come from the same part of the city. I was amazed by how secure Dhawan is both as a cricketer and person.

From a reading point, it's an easy read. The prose is underwhelming but reflective. Dhawan talks about his struggles, highs and lows, friendships and experience with different coaches and captains he played with and under. Between Gary Kirsten and Ravi Shastri, Indian cricket fans sometimes fail to acknowledge Duncan Fletcher’s contribution as a coach during the transition phase in 2013-14 but Dhawan gives Daddu (as the team fondly called him) the appreciation where it is due.

He also shares an extremely funny incident involving Sachin Tendulkar which had me in splits. Some of the chapters are meant to explain Dhawan’s personality and they do a good job. Dhawan addresses the controversial moments but only with caution and without passing any judgements. 

Which brings me back to my observation that The One lacks depth and details. The linear narrative couldn’t hold my attention for long. Co-written by Chandresh Narayanan and Namita Kala, the book explores Dhawan’s life only on the surface without delving deep into any aspect. 

Dhawan was a terrific performer for India in the ICC tournaments. Not just great, he scored 363 runs in the 2013 edition and 338 runs in the 2017 edition of the Champions Trophy, finishing as the leading run-scorer in both the events. He was also the leading scorer in the 2015 World Cup having scored 412 runs. I was looking forward to reading more about his approach, preparation and performance in these tournaments, rather than just numbers. His glittering white-ball career deserved a more structured presentation but the depth was lacking.

Verdict

The memoir has valuable lessons for the upcoming cricketers. Some important life-lessons too for the regular readers. Apart from that, the book is strictly for Shikhar Dhawan fans who are looking to know about his life.

Rating: 2.5 Stars

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