Tendulkar to 'nervous' Dhawan: Show us some guts

The way he went about decimating the Australian attack in the third Test here today, Shikhar Dhawan very much looked like a man in great hurry, but the India debutant said he was a bundle of 'nerves' while approaching milestones in his mesmerising knock.

The left-handed batsman rewrote one record after another, before proclaiming that he 'belongs' to the big league.

Dhawan announced his arrival on the Test arena with a blistering 168-ball 185 the fastest by a debutant in the history of Test cricket, giving India a toehold in the penultimate match of the series. He also breezed past Gundappa Vishwanath's record of highest Indian scorer on debut.

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"It was a great moment to get the Test cap form Sachin paaji. I have watched him since I was a kid, it was a dream come true," Dhawan told reporters after his record-breaking feat.

Asked if Tendulkar had an advice for the 27-year-old batsman from Delhi, Dhawan said, "He told me 'we have known you as a very gutsy player in domestic cricket, now we hope to see you as a gutsy player in international cricket, so show us some guts'."

"You couldn't feel it, but I was really nervous as I approached my fifty and century," Dhawan told reporters after the end of the third day's play, with India sitting pretty at 283 for no loss in reply to Australia s 408.

Asked if he feels he belongs to the league, the 27-year-old Dhawan, though somewhat repeated the line on a lighter note: "I was not in a hurry, the fours were just coming, the shot selection was good and I was in flow," Dhawan, who had started his first-class career nine years ago, said.

"I have been working hard since being dropped from the Indian team I have changed myself, I was waiting for a chance. I am happy that I grabbed it with both hands. I am feeling good, I thank God, it has always been a dream to score runs on debut," he said.

The Delhi boy was quick to thank his half Bengali, half British wife, who is settled in Australia: "I have got an Australian wife who lives in Melbourne with two daughters. I thank my wife and kids, they were praying. I spoke to my wife and it was a very emotional for her," he answered when queried by an Australian scribe.

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