Shikhar Dhawan retires from international and domestic cricket

Shikhar Dhawan has called time on his 14-year international career announcing his retirement through a social media post on Saturday morning. Dhawan last featured in a competitive game this April, leading Punjab Kings in IPL 2024. He retires with 24 international hundreds (17 in ODIs and seven in Tests) across 269 matches.

“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,” Dhawan said in a video posted on his social media accounts. “I am leaving with peace in my heart that I played so long for India. I’ve told myself don’t feel sad that you won’t play for India anymore, but feel happy that you played for the country.”

Dhawan retires as a modern ODI great, being one of only eight batters in the format’s history with over 5000 runs at a 40-plus average and a 90-plus strike rate (Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are the other Indians in the list). He hasn’t played for India since the ODI series against Bangladesh in December 2022.

While he played across formats in his prime, Dhawan’s overall ODI numbers towered over his records in the other two formats, even though it was in Tests when he first burst onto the scene with an 85-ball hundred against Australia in Mohali, the fastest ever by a Test debutant. He went on to make 187 in a match-winning effort.

Dhawan’s career hit the high notes in 2013 when he made 1162 runs in ODIs at an average of 50.52 and a strike rate of 97.89. The icing on the cake was his chart-topping 363 runs in five innings, including two centuries, in India’s title-winning run at the Champions Trophy, which was his first series back in ODI colours after five forgettable outings in 2010-11.

That tournament was the start of a glorious partnership at the top of the order with Rohit. In terms of run aggregates, the pair is the fourth-best in ODIs, and second-most successful for India after Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.

Dhawan’s glorious run extended well past the Champions Trophy 2013 as he established himself as a key member of the ODI team over the next few years. He was the highest scorer in each of the next few multi-team (five-plus teams) ODI tournaments for India: Asia Cup 2014, World Cup 2015, Champions Trophy 2017 and Asia Cup 2018.

In 2019, Dhawan’s ODI career hit the first major hurdle after he was out with a thumb injury midway through the World Cup in England, soon after scoring a century against Australia at The Oval. Dhawan’s contributions were rewarded with short captaincy stints during the last leg of his international career when he would lead India’s second-string sides in the absence of regulars.

Dhawan represented Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings in the IPL, where he’s currently the second-highest run-getter behind Kohli. His 6769 runs came across 221 innings at a strike rate of 127.14.

As a domestic cricketer, Dhawan’s early years coincided with Ranji Trophy success for Delhi, as he was part of the title-winning team in 2007-08, when they beat Uttar Pradesh. He was also the top run-scorer for India at the Under-19 World Cup in 2004.