New Delhi: Star opener Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Saturday. The southpaw, who was a part of India’s ICC Champions Trophy victory under MS Dhoni in 2013, made the announcement in an emotional video on his social media platforms. The 38-year-old last played for India in December 2022 in the ODI series 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 captioned the video where he thanked all his coaches, fans, friends, family and the BCCI for letting hos dream come true of playing for India.
Dhawan made his debut for India in 2010 against Australia and established himself as one of the destructive openers in world cricket. A year later he made his T20I debut before making his mark in Test cricket in 2013. In all, Dhawan played 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is in his entire career, scoring 2315, 6793, 1759 runs respectively.
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! pic.twitter.com/QKxRH55Lgx
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) August 24, 2024
Fondly known as Gabbar among his fans, Dhawan had a knack of doing well in ICC tournaments. He was India’s highest run-getter in the 2013 Champions Trophy, 2015 ODI World Cup, 2017 Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup in 2018. “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. I am leaving with peace in my heart that I played so long for India,” he added.
“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.
At his peak, the Delhi swashbuckler was a sight to behold with his range of strokes and ability to hit powerfully. He is a bonafide IPL legend, appearing in 222 matches, that yielded 6769 runs, including two hundreds and 51 half centuries. His 768 fours in the tournament are the highest by any batter and he also holds the distinction of being the first to hit consecutive hundreds in the event.
He was a part of the title-winning Sunrisers Hyderabad team in the 2016 season. He has also played for Delhi, Mumbai and Punjab. Of these, he captained Delhi and Punjab at various stages of his career. He had appeared for Punjab this season but played in only five matches owing to fitness issues.
