Shikhar Dhawan's Wild Confession: 'Smuggled Girlfriend In Hotel, Rohit Caught Me!

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : In a candid and unexpected revelation from his newly released autobiography “The One: Cricket, My Life and More,” former India opener Shikhar Dhawan shared a personal anecdote involving current Indian captain Rohit Sharma during the 2006 India A tour of Australia. Dhawan disclosed that he used to secretly bring his girlfriend into the hotel room he shared with Sharma — a move that elicited amusing reactions from the now-skipper.

Narrating the incident, Dhawan said he had fallen head over heels for an Englishwoman named Ellen during the tour, and their relationship quickly became serious. “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,’” Dhawan wrote.

Their romance, however, took a sneaky turn as Dhawan began sneaking Ellen into his hotel room. “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,” Dhawan confessed. “Now and then, he would complain in Hindi — ‘Will you let me sleep?’”

Dhawan further revealed that their relationship became the talk of the squad when the couple was spotted walking hand-in-hand in the hotel lobby by a senior national selector. “News of her presence spread like wildfire throughout the entire squad,” he said. “It didn’t even occur to me that I should let go of her hand, because to me, we were committing no crime.” Despite the lightheartedness of the story, Dhawan stood by his actions, insisting he was driven by love and sincerity, not rebellion. “To me, it felt natural. I was in love, and I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong,” he added.

Shikhar Dhawan: A Legacy Beyond the Anecdotes

Dhawan, who retired from all forms of international cricket in 2024, remains one of India’s most celebrated opening batters. He represented India in 167 ODIs, 68 T20Is, and 34 Tests, amassing 6793 runs in ODIs at an impressive average of 44.91. Known for his ICC tournament exploits, Dhawan was notably left out of India’s 2023 ODI World Cup squad — a move that surprised many fans and experts alike. While Dhawan’s on-field heroics are etched in Indian cricketing history, his off-field honesty and charm — as shown in his autobiography — continue to endear him to fans across the globe.