“Whenever you go out on a tour, you bring a girl with you” - Shikhar Dhawan reveals how an affair in 2006 divided his family

Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan has opened up about an incident when he brought his British girlfriend home after an India A tour to Australia in 2006. The 39-year-old introduced the woman to his parents, who were angry by what he had done and revealed that one of his releatives stopped visiting his family as they felt he wasn't the right influence on their kids.

The southpaw said that only one of his relatives was supportive of his relationship and even offered them a home to stay. Writing in his autobiography "The One: Cricket, My Life and More", Dhawan revealed (Via Sportstar):

"When I returned from Australia in 2006, I told my mother that I have found my better half. She started crying. ‘Why is it that whenever you go out on a tour, you bring a girl with you?’ she complained. She created quite a scene but at that point, it had no impact on me.

"By now, my parents were in panic and the clan was divided. Half of them were angry and some of my relatives stopped talking to me. One of my aunts even told me to stop visiting her house, because she feared that I would be a bad influence on her kids. I was quite hurt.

"But Dheeru Mama and his wife stood by me. ‘You can go and live with the girl in our Janakpuri apartment,’ he offered. ‘It’s lying empty.’"

Shikhar Dhawan recalls his experience of dating a British woman in Australia

Shikhar Dhawan, in his autobiography, recalled an experience in 2006 when he had toured Australia with the India A team. He said he was in a relationship with a British woman and was convinced that she would be his life partner.

The 39-year-old also revealed an experience where a senior national selector had caught him walking with her in the lobby. Dhawan also said spending time with the woman negatively affected his batting on the tour.

"Then came a tour to Australia with the India A squad in 2006. The moment I landed in Darwin, I noticed a beautiful woman in the immigration queue. She was a tall brunette with a blunt cut and sharp features.

"She looked divine. I looked at her and smiled; she smiled back. She wheeled her luggage trolley and walked over to the conveyor belt to collect her luggage. I did the same and stood next to her.

"Hi! I’m Shikhar,’ I said, introducing myself. ‘Hello, I’m Ellen (not her real name),’ she said, thrusting her hand out. ‘Where are you from?’ I asked.

"‘I am from England,’ she replied. ‘How long will you be here?’ I questioned. ‘For a year,’ she divulged. ‘A year!’ I exclaimed, astonished.

"‘I’m on a one-year vacation,’ she laughed. By the time our conversation was over, we had exchanged phone numbers and email ids," Dhawan wrote in his autobiography.

Dhawan revealed that he once invited the woman to his hotel room, which he was sharing with Rohit Sharma. He wrote:

"She was very beautiful, and suddenly I was in love again! I thought to myself, ‘She is the one for me, and I am going to marry her.’

"I started with a half-century in a practice game, and my tour was progressing well. After every game, I would go over to meet up with Ellen and I soon started smuggling her into my hotel room which I was sharing with Rohit Sharma. Now and then, he would complain in Hindi. ‘Will you let me sleep?’

"One evening, when I headed for dinner with Ellen, news of her presence spread like wildfire throughout the entire squad. A senior national selector, who was on tour with us, spotted us walking in the lobby with our hands linked.

"It didn’t even occur to me that I should let go of her hand, because to me, we were committing no crime. 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, but my performance kept dipping."

Dhawan retired from all forms of cricket in August 2024. He played his last international match for India in 2022.