Dhawan began playing cricket at a young age and made his way through the ranks of Delhi's cricketing circuit.
He made his first-class debut for Delhi in 2004 and quickly established himself as one of the top young players in the country.
He was imposing in the 2007-2008 season, scoring over 1000 runs and earning a call-up to the Indian national team.
Dhawan made his international debut for India in a One Day International (ODI) match against Australia in October 2010.
Dhawan continued to impress in ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals, and in 2014, he was named to the Indian Test team for their tour of England.
He made a century on his debut and became the fastest Indian to score a century on a Test debut, breaking the previous record held by Sachin Tendulkar.
He was also the first player to score a century on his Test debut for India in England.