After playing for his country in all three formats, veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan said two years ago that he was retiring from all forms of cricket. He claimed to be a happy guy as he left the scene.
The 38-year-old made his debut for his country in an ODI against Australia in Visakhapatnam in 2010, and in 2022, he played his final 50-over encounter against Bangladesh.
“As I close this chapter of my cricketing journey, I carry with me countless memories and gratitude. Thank you for the love and support! Jai Hind!,” Dhawan said in a post on ‘X’.
“It’s important to turn the page to move forward in life and that’s why I am announcing my retirement from international and domestic cricket. As I bid goodbye to my cricket journey, I have peace in my heart that I played for so long,” he said.
Fighter Dhawan, a West Delhi native and product of Sonnet Club, represented India in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is. However, in recent years, his inconsistent play and the rise of newer opening players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill have caused him to lose favour.
He scored 6793 runs at an average of 44.11 in the 50-over format, including 17 hundreds and 39 fifties, which was his best total. During his 2315 Test runs, including seven hundreds, he averaged 40.61.
“I am standing at a point in my life where when I look back, I see only memories, and when I look ahead, I see a new world. I had just one goal in life, to play for India, and I made it happen,” he said.
“I am very thankful to DDCA (Delhi and Districts Cricket Association), the BCCI and my fans. And that’s why I tell myself, don’t be sad that you won’t play for India again but be happy that you played for your country. And that’s the biggest thing for me, that I played,” he said in his concluding remarks in the social media post.
The batter, who was born in Delhi, had an unmemorable debut for his country when he was out for a two-ball duck.
After some early setbacks, Dhawan rejoined the Indian squad in 2013 and solidified his spot in all three formats with some outstanding performances, which included winning Player-of-the-Tournament during India’s victorious Champions Trophy campaign in England.
His spectacular 185 against Australia on his Test debut in Mohali, where he stormed to his century in just 85 balls with a barrage of boundaries, was one of the highlights of his successful career.
On his Test debut, Dhawan, though, might have been out even before he faced a ball. Mitchell Starc, the debutant, was caught off guard by the first delivery of the India innings, which skidded out of his hand and dropped on the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
The flamboyant Dhawan took full advantage of the Australians’ lack of an appeal, setting a new record for the fastest century by a Test debutant.
With his variety of swings and strong hitting, the Delhi swashbuckler was a sight to behold when he was at his best.
After creating a strong combination with Rohit Sharma at the top of the Indian batting order, Dhawan did not forget to express his gratitude to those who helped him become the player that he is today.
“I always had one goal in mind that was to play for India and I achieved it thanks to a lot of people. First of all my family, my childhood coach Tarak Sinha and Madan Sharma, under their guidance, I learnt cricket.
“Then my entire team with whom I played for years, got another family, fame and everyone’s love and support.”
“I just say this to myself that don’t be sad that you won’t play for your country again but always be happy that you played for your country. And it’s the biggest achievement for me that I played,” Dhawan added in the video.
With 6769 runs from 222 matches, including two hundreds and 51 half-centuries, he is a true IPL legend.
In addition to being the first batter to hit consecutive hundreds in the competition, he has the most fours in the tournament (768), more than any other batter.
He played for the 2016 Sunrisers Hyderabad team that won the championship. In addition, he has played for Punjab, Mumbai, and Delhi. He led Delhi and Punjab at different points in his career.
Due to fitness concerns, he had only participated in five of Punjab’s games this season.
