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. But Shikhar Dhawan had a unique request after he signed his IPL contract: to be allotted the jersey number ‘00’. Delhi’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 isn’t only about foreign recruits and fresh talent, it’s also about rediscovering players who fell by the wayside. After two half-centuries in four innings (before today’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.

“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 it’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. It’s given so many domestic players an ‘India’ chance,” 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 — teaching Hindi to the foreign recruits. “I try and teach them little words of Hindi and they’re loving it,” he says. “I take them out to visit places in Delhi, almost like a tourist guide,” he laughs.

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