While veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan's retirement isn't a shock, it has certainly come as a surprise to several fans. The left-handed batter called time from all forms of the game on August 24th, Saturday, as he posted a video message to communicate the same. Nevertheless, fans and cricketing fraternity haven't forgotten his contributions to the game.
The Delhi-born cricketer's contribution will most be significant in ODI cricket, a form of the game in which he forged a formidable partnership with Rohit Sharma. Dhawan and Rohit hold the record for the 4th highest runs by an opening pair, accumulating 5148 runs in 115 innings, averaging 45.55 alongside 18 century partnerships.
He was part of India's 2013 Champions Trophy win in England and was the highest run-getter with 363 runs in 5 innings at 90.75. Apart from 167 ODIs, the southpaw also plied his trade in 34 Tests and 68 T20Is. He memorably smacked 187 on his Test debut. Having accumulated 10000 runs, Dhawan last played for India in December 2022.
Dhawan said in his retirement message:
"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 coaches 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. As it’s said that to move ahead in the story you need to flip over the pages. Hence, I’m also doing that, I’m announcing my retirement from international and domestic cricket."
The 38-year-old elaborated:
"And now when I’m bidding adieu to my cricketing journey, I have the satisfaction that I played a lot for my country. I’m really thankful to the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and DDCA (Delhi & District Cricket Association) for giving me this opportunity and all of my fans for their 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."
Here's how the cricketing fraternity reacted to Dhawan's retirement:
