After India opener Shikhar Dhawan announced his decision to retire from the international and domestic circuit, here is a look at the remarkable cricketing journey of the southpaw batter that began in Delhi and ended with an everlasting impression globally. The fans of Indian cricket were left tongue-tied after Dhawan announced his retirement from all formats of cricket on his social media platform. In a career that spanned over 14 years, the calmness that Dhawan exuded on and off the field was one characteristic that set him apart from the other stalwarts of Indian cricket. From becoming famous as “Gabbar” and hitting his trademark ‘thigh celebration’ in international games and Indian Premier League, Dhawan made his presence felt throughout his career.
He first stepped on the field, donning the Indian colours at Visakhapatnam in October 2010 against Australia in his beloved ODI format.
The 38-year-old didn’t embark on his cricketing journey in the way he would have eventually hoped for. Clint McKay managed to slip past the ball through the gap between pad and bat to force Dhawan to return to the dugout with a two-ball duck. The Visakhapatnam crowd fell silent, but it was only the beginning of Dhawan establishing himself as a modern-day white-ball great.
Dhawan turned out to be a late bloomer. The first time he connected with his fans with his trademark celebration was in 2013.
Once again, the mighty Australia stood in front of Dhawan but in a different venue and a different format.
The Mohali crowd felt the ecstasy creep into their hearts and agony flare up on the faces of Australian players. He hammered 187, making himself a natural replacement for Sourav Ganguly.
However, as time started to slip away, it became more and more evident that Dhawan was a player who was destined to leave an everlasting impression in limited-overs cricket.
In 167 ODI appearances, the southpaw produced swashbuckling performances and racked up 6,793 runs at an average of 44.1, including 17 centuries and 39 fifties.
In the T20I format, Dhawan made 68 appearances and boasted 1,759 runs, at an average of 27.9, including 11 fifties.
The boisterous player from Delhi sporadically led the Indian team in white-ball cricket whenever the designated skipper took his time away from the game.
Dhawan had his sombre phase as well in 2014 when he found himself down the pecking order, looking to establish his place yet again.
The 38-year-old became the fastest to hit 6000 runs in the ODI format, achieving the feat in 141 matches.
He also features in the list of scoring more than 5,000 runs and completing 50 dismissals in the 50-over format.
He was crowned Player of the Tournament in U-19 WC 2004, Champions Trophy in 2013 and Asia Cup 2018.
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