"Had no clue about the number of bodies that needle had pierced" - When Shikhar Dhawan had to do an HIV Test

Team India veteran Shikhar Dhawan is known to have quite a few tattoos and has accepted that some of them were done by him out of the adrenaline rush when he was just a teenager.

Naturally, Dhawan had to hide a tattoo that he had done on his back from his family for the initial period. However, apart from the fear of being scolded by his family, Dhawan was worried about something else too.

Speaking on the show 'Seedhi Baat' on Aaj Tak, Shikhar Dhawan opened up on how the fear of the needle being used for the tattoo forced him into doing an HIV test. He said:

"When I was 14-15 years old, I had gone to Manali and had got a tattoo done on my back without informing my family members. I had to hide it for quite some time, about 3-4 months, and then when my father got to know, he beat me. I got a bit scared after doing the tattoo because I had no clue about the number of bodies that needle had pierced. So then I went and did by HIV Test and it's negative to date (laughs)."

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Shikhar Dhawan on why cricketers avoid interviews

Shikhar Dhawan, who was pretty blunt and straightforward in his answers on the show, was asked why most cricketers don't tend to answer the way he does.

The southpaw explained how important it is for any cricketer to ensure they settle into their career quickly and not say anything controversial that can be amplified by the media. On this, he stated:

"Had I got an opportunity to do this interview 7-8 years ago, I wouldn't have been this mature at that time. I would have perhaps got a little worried about giving this interview because of the blunt nature of the questions. So it is natural that any cricketer would think about their career and future and be on the safer side so as to not give answers that could offend someone."

Although Shikhar Dhawan doesn't seem to be in the Indian team's scheme of things for the World Cup, a stellar IPL 2023 season with the bat could bring him back into the reckoning.