Shikhar Dhawan Retirement: Shikhar Dhawan retires as one of only eight ODI batsmen with more than 5000 runs, averaging over 40, and maintaining a strike rate above 90.
Shikhar Dhawan Retirement: Former Indian cricket team’s opener Shikhar Dhawan has officially announced his retirement from both international and domestic cricket, sharing the news through a social media post on Saturday morning.
Dhawan’s final competitive appearance was in April 2024, where he led the Punjab Kings in the IPL. Over his career, he accumulated 24 centuries—17 in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and seven in Test matches—across 269 international games.
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Shikhar Dhawan Retirement announcement on social media
In a heartfelt video message, Shikhar Dhawan retirement announced and said, “To move forward in life, it’s essential to turn the page, and that’s why I’m announcing my retirement from international and domestic cricket. I’m at peace knowing I had the opportunity to represent India for so long. Instead of feeling sorrow that I won’t play for India again, I choose to feel joy that I had the privilege to play for my country.”
Dhawan, who debuted for India in 2010, retires as one of only eight ODI batsmen with more than 5000 runs, averaging over 40, and maintaining a strike rate above 90. Among Indians, only Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli share this achievement.
In total, Dhawan scored 6793 runs in 167 ODIs, with an average of 44.11 and a strike rate of 91.35. His last ODI was played against Bangladesh in Chattogram in December 2022.
In Test cricket, Dhawan amassed 2315 runs in 34 matches with an average of 40.61, while in T20 Internationals, he scored 1759 runs at a strike rate of 126.36 across 68 games.
Though Dhawan made significant strides in ODIs, his explosive entry into Test cricket remains memorable, especially his debut against Australia in 2013, where he scored a century off just 85 balls, the fastest by a debutant, eventually tallying 187 runs in a match-winning performance.
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The year 2013 marked the peak of Dhawan’s career. He scored 1162 runs in 26 ODIs, with an impressive average of 50.52 and a strike rate of 97.89. The highlight was his dominance in the Champions Trophy, where he was the top scorer with 363 runs in five innings, including two centuries, propelling India to victory.
This tournament also marked the beginning of his successful opening partnership with Rohit Sharma, making them the fourth-highest run-scoring pair among ODI openers and securing 18 century partnerships, second only to the legendary duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.
Dhawan’s exceptional form extended beyond the 2013 Champions Trophy, solidifying his position as a key player in the ODI team. He was India’s top scorer in several major tournaments, including the Asia Cup 2014, World Cup 2015, Champions Trophy 2017, and Asia Cup 2018.
However, his ODI journey faced a significant setback in 2019 when a thumb injury during the World Cup in England forced him out of the tournament, shortly after a century against Australia at The Oval. Despite this, Dhawan’s leadership skills were recognized, and he captained India’s second-string teams in the final phase of his international career.
In the Indian Premier League (IPL), Dhawan represented multiple franchises, including Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Punjab Kings. He retired as the second-highest run-scorer in IPL history, with 6769 runs in 222 matches at a strike rate of 127.14, trailing only Virat Kohli.
On the domestic front, Shikhar Dhawan‘s early career coincided with Delhi’s success in the Ranji Trophy. He was a key member of the Delhi team that won the title in 2007-08, defeating Uttar Pradesh in the final at Wankhede Stadium.
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Additionally, he was the top run-scorer at the Under-19 World Cup in 2004, further highlighting his contributions to Indian cricket.