Delhi146;s Dhawan playing the numbers game

Followers of numerology have gone to great lengths to be associated with the number - from 1 to 9 - that forms the best mystical relationship with success in their lives.

Followers of numerology have gone to great lengths to be associated with the number 8211; from 1 to 9 8211; that forms the best mystical relationship with success in their lives. But Shikhar Dhawan had a unique request after he signed his IPL contract: to be allotted the jersey number 8216;008217;. Delhi8217;s Dhawan has a special link with those digits. He wore them first in the under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh five years ago, when he was declared the best batsman of the tournament.

This Indian Premier League isn8217;t only about foreign recruits and fresh talent, it8217;s also about rediscovering players who fell by the wayside. After two half-centuries in four innings before today8217;s game against Chennai, Dhawan has the highest average for the Daredevils and is firmly back in the limelight. This time, his popularity has extended to the masses.

8220;It feels nice to be recognised, people from all walks of life come up to me and say they like my batting and that I have a great future. I have a feeling this time it8217;s all going to be different. Earlier only people in cricket circles knew me, but this IPL has given me a larger platform, much bigger than when I did well in under-19 World Cup or when I was playing for India A. Hopefully this will be my comeback vehicle. It8217;s given so many domestic players an 8216;India8217; chance,8221; says Dhawan, who was in the fringes of the national team before being dumped.

Along with scoring runs, the left-hander has been doing another job in the Delhi team 8212; teaching Hindi to the foreign recruits. 8220;I try and teach them little words of Hindi and they8217;re loving it,8221; he says. 8220;I take them out to visit places in Delhi, almost like a tourist guide,8221; he laughs.

Now 22, Dhawan says he8217;s become mature after facing the ups and downs of a cricket career at an early stage. He says he doesn8217;t get into needless contests while batting alongside skipper Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.

He hasn8217;t thought of where he wants to be professionally at the end of the tournament, preferring to take it match by match. 8220;I would love it if people buy Daredevils jerseys with my name on it,8221; Dhawan says. 8220;That would be a dream come true.8221;