On December 14, Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan launched his autobiography, The One: Cricket, My Life and More, in New Delhi and spoke about his journey not only in cricket but about his larger ambitions beyond it.
The book was launched at a grand event at The Leela Palace, organised in association with BMW Deutsche Motoren, HarperCollins and the Trends Literature Series. The launch saw unprecedented convergence of the world of sport, publishing, and business as Dhawan positions himself in India’s sports ecosystem as an entrepreneur and mentor.
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The One represents the mindset that has helped him shape his career, Dhawan said during the event. He spoke about the role of belief, discipline and goalsetting in negotiating the ups and downs of international cricket. Dhawan said he had long leaned on journaling and visualisation, habits he developed well before his India debut.
"I wrote about becoming the best even when I hadn't played for India. Slowly those dreams turned into reality." Dhawan said, recollecting how that coincided with milestones such as his Test debut century and leadership role in the national team.
From personal journey to purpose-driven work
While the book revisits defining moments in Dhawan’s cricket career, it gets lighter moments that were building blocks of his public image. He spoke about the origins of his trademark moustache twirl and of humor as a way to cope with the pressure of long days on the field.
“You have to keep the mood light in a team environment,” he added, saying that energy and camaraderie were as big a part of performance during his playing days.
The launch also brought to light Dhawan's own transition from cricketer to entrepreneur. He explained that the values discussed in The One now guide the work of Da One Group, his sports-focused venture aimed at building structured pathways for young athletes. Alongside it, the Shikhar Dhawan Foundation continues to focus on education and community development initiatives.
Anshita Gupta, CEO of Da One Group, said said the decision to bring Dhawan’s story to readers was rooted in his resilience. She noted that the book captures multiple sides of his personality, from his humour to his belief in affirmations and discipline and reflects how those ideas shape the organisation’s approach to grassroots sports development.
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Gupta further added that the group is working towards long-term infrastructure and not short-term intervention, more so at the grassroots level where the young athletes often lack guidance.
Dhawan stressed that The One was not a celebration of success, but an honest testimony born out of experience. “If my journey helps young people trust their potential and stay committed,” he said, “that’s the impact I hope it has."
