Shikhar Dhawan Retires from Cricket

Shikhar Dhawan officially announced his retirement from both international and domestic cricket through a social media post on Saturday morning. His last appearance in competitive cricket was in April 2024 when he captained Punjab Kings in the IPL. Dhawan steps away from the game with an impressive record of 24 centuries—17 in ODIs and seven in Tests—across 269 international matches

In a heartfelt video message, Dhawan shared, "To move forward in life, it is essential to turn the page, and that is why I am announcing my retirement from international and domestic cricket. I leave with peace in my heart, knowing I played for India for so long. I remind myself not to be sad about no longer playing for India but to be happy that I had the opportunity to represent my country."

Debuting for India in 2010, Dhawan retired as one of only eight ODI batsmen to have scored over 5000 runs with a 40-plus average and a 90-plus strike rate. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are the only other Indians in this elite group. Over his career, Dhawan amassed 6793 runs in 167 ODIs with an average of 44.11 and a strike rate of 91.35. His final ODI appearance was against Bangladesh in Chattogram in December 2022. In 34 Tests, he scored 2315 runs at an average of 40.61, while in 68 T20Is, he tallied 1759 runs at a strike rate of 126.36.

Though Dhawan’s ODI numbers stand out, it was in Tests that he first made a significant impact, famously scoring a hundred off just 85 balls on his debut against Australia in Mohali in 2013, the fastest century by a debutant. He went on to score 187 in a match-winning performance.

The year 2013 marked a high point in Dhawan’s career. He scored 1162 runs in 26 ODIs, averaging 50.52 with a strike rate of 97.89. His stellar performance included 363 runs in five innings, with two centuries, during India’s triumphant Champions Trophy campaign. This tournament also marked the beginning of his prolific opening partnership with Rohit Sharma. Together, they became the fourth-highest run-scoring pair among ODI openers, with 18 century stands, second only to the legendary duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly's 21.

Dhawan's success continued beyond the 2013 Champions Trophy as he became a crucial member of India's ODI squad. He was the leading scorer for India in several major tournaments, including the Asia Cup 2014, World Cup 2015, Champions Trophy 2017, and Asia Cup 2018.

However, Dhawan's ODI career faced a significant setback in 2019 when a thumb injury sidelined him during the World Cup in England, shortly after he scored a century against Australia at The Oval. Despite this, he was later entrusted with captaincy duties, leading India’s second-string sides in the absence of regulars towards the end of his international career.

In the IPL, Dhawan represented several teams, including Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Punjab Kings, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer in the league behind Kohli. He scored 6769 runs in 222 matches with a strike rate of 127.14.

Domestically, Dhawan’s early career coincided with Delhi’s Ranji Trophy triumph in 2007-08, where he was part of the team that defeated Uttar Pradesh in the final. He also topped the run charts at the Under-19 World Cup in 2004.