Shikhar Dhawan has hung his boot and bid farewell to the Indian cricket team after announcing his retirement from all formats of cricket in a social media post on Saturday, 24 August. Dhawan’s last competitive game was in IPL in the Punjab Kings’ jersey. He ends his career having amassed 24 centuries from 269 international matches (17 in ODIs and 7 in Tests).
Dhawan made his India debut in 2010 against Australia in Vishakhapatnam. He is one of just eight ODI batters to depart with over 5000 runs at a 40-plus average and a 90-plus strike rate. The other two Indians on this list are Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Dhawan scored 6793 runs, including 17 centuries, in 167 one-day internationals at a strike rate of 91.35 and an average of 44.11.
Overall, Shikhar Dhawan played 269 international matches for Team India—34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is. In his test career, he scored 2315 runs at an average of 40.61 with 7 hundreds and 1759 runs in 68 T20Is, at a strike rate of 126.36.
Even though Dhawan made his debut in Test cricket in 2013 with the fastest-ever debut century of 85 balls against Australia in Mohali, his ODI statistics dwarfed his achievements in the other two formats.
Although Shikhar Dhawan started his international career in 2010, his arrival in international cricket was truly marked in 2013. He amassed 1162 runs with a strike rate of 97.89 and an average of 50.52 in 26 one-day internationals that year. His career-best 363 runs in five innings, including two centuries, during India’s Champions Trophy run was the cherry on top. It was his first ODI series following five dismal performances in 2010 and 2011.
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That competition marked the beginning of a magnificent opening duo with Rohit. The duo ranks fourth among ODI openers in terms of run aggregates, and their 18th-century stands at the top are second only to Sourav Ganguly’s and Sachin Tendulkar’s 21.
Dhawan’s incredible journey continued long after the 2013 Champions Trophy, as he went on to become an important part of the ODI team in the following years. Over the next few One-Day Internationals (ODIs), he scored the most runs for India: Asia Cup 2014, World Cup 2015, Champions Trophy 2017 and Asia Cup 2018.
Dhawan’s ODI career had its first significant setback in 2019 when, shortly after making a century against Australia at The Oval, he had to withdraw due to a thumb injury midway through the World Cup in England. Short periods as captain of India’s second-string teams during the final stretch of his international career, when regulars were unavailable, were given to Dhawan in recognition of his contributions.
In the IPL, Dhawan played for the Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Punjab Kings. He is now the second-highest run scorer in the league, trailing only Virat Kohli. His 6769 runs were distributed over 222 games with a strike rate of 127.14.
Dhawan’s early years in domestic cricket coincided with Delhi’s Ranji Trophy victory; he was a member of the squad that won the championship in 2007–08 when Delhi defeated Uttar Pradesh at the Wankhede. In 2004, he also led the Under-19 World Cup in runs scored.
Now, when Dhawan announced retirement in all formats of cricket, it will be interesting to see whether he returns to Indian cricket as a selector or coach like many former players or he chooses to lead his life in peace away from the limelight of cricket.
