Veteran India opener Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from all forms of cricket two years after he last donned the national jersey, saying that he leaves the scene a content man after representing the country in all three formats.
The 38-year-old made his international debut in 2010 in an ODI against Australia in Visakhapatnam and his last India game was also a 50-over match, against Bangladesh in 2022.
- Dhawan, a premier top-order ODI batter in the post Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly era, announced his retirement two years after his final appearance in the national team.
- He featured in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is.
- The last time India won an ICC title -- the 2013 Champions Trophy in England -- Dhawan played a vital role and won the player of the tournament award for his exploits at the top of the order in seaming conditions.
- Indian cricket's 'Gabbar', who made the thigh-clap celebration his trademark, didn't enjoy a memorable beginning to his international career, getting dismissed for a two-ball duck against Australia in an ODI in Visakhapatnam.
- However, after the initial struggles in top-flight, Dhawan returned to the Indian team in 2013 and cemented his place across all three formats with some scintillating performances.
- The highlight of his career was the brilliant 185 he scored against Australia on Test debut in Mohali, having raced to his century in just 85 balls with a flurry of boundaries.
- Dhawan, however, could have been out even before he had faced a ball in his Test debut. The first delivery of the India innings slipped out of Mitchell Starc's hand and fell on the stumps with the debutant out of his ground at the non-striker's end.
- The Australians did not appeal, and the flamboyant Dhawan took full advantage of that by setting the record for the fastest century by a Test debutant.
- While his Test debut was memorable, Dhawan found his calling in One-Day Internationals, amassing 6793 runs at an average of 44.11, including 17 hundreds and 39 fifties.
- He averaged 40.61 for his 2315 Test runs, which featured seven centuries. The Indian cricket establishment, and the fans, expected more from his willow, especially after that blazing start to his Test career, but Dhawan would never complain with whatever he has got during a career that spanned almost 14 years.
- When he looks back at his career, he would certainly cherish the memories, one of them being the brilliant 137 against a South African pace attack comprising Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel in the 2015 ODI World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
- His 109-ball 117 in the 2019 World Cup against Australia at the Oval was perhaps his last significant outing in the India colours.
- Dhawan was also a standout performer in domestic cricket, becoming a star in the 2004 U-19 World Cup. However, it wasn't until 2013 that he truly captured the attention of the Indian public.
Shikhar Dhawan made his IPL debut in 2008 with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). In his illustrious IPL career of 222 matches, the cricketer went on to play for Mumbai Indians (MI), Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) in his illustrious IPL career. In IPL 2024, he was made the captain of Punjab Kings.
- Shikhar Dhawan made a 'Hundred on Debut' record in a test match after the batter scored 187 runs.
- He stands ninth on the record for scoring 100 in the hundredth match with 109 runs in ODI.
- He is on the fifth position in the record for batters scoring the fastest 6000 runs in ODI. It took him 143 matches to achieve the feat.
- Dhawan holds a record in 5000 runs and 50 fielding dismissals in ODIs.
- The batter stands sixth in record of scoring hundreds in consecutive innings in Tests+ODIs+T20Is.
- He ranks eighth in the record of most 90s in career (11) for Combined Test, ODI and T20I records, and ninth in chart of Most consecutive innings without a duck (61). In terms of just One-Day Internationals, he ranks seventh in the record for Most nineties in career (7).
- Along with this, the retired cricketer features second on the list of most catches in an innings (4) for ODI and Most consecutive innings without a duck (61) in the Twenty20 Internationals format.
As per recent reports, the ace cricketer's net worth is around $15 million (nearly INR 125 crores). Dhawan's popularity has made him an ideal ambassador and has endorsed several brands like Jio, Nerolac Paints, GS Caltex, Lays, Oppo, Boat, IMG Reliance, Alcis Sports and V-Star. Meanwhile, his IPL salary has ranged from Rs 5.20 crore in 2018 to Rs 8.25 crore in 2024.
Born on December 5, 1985, Shikhar Dhawan's marital life has often made headlines in the past. The left handed batter has been granted a divorce from his wife Aesha Mukerji on grounds of mental cruelty.
This came after the Delhi court judge accepted all of Dhawan's claims made in the petition since Mukherji neither contested the allegations nor defended herself against them.
While the court did not pass judgement on permanent custody of the child, it did allow Dhawan visitation rights to spend time with his son in India as well as Australia, while also allowing video calls between the two.
(With PTI inputs)