Shikhar Dhawan occasionally led the men in blue and enjoyed the responsibility. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

There was always an ease to the manner in which Shikhar Dhawan conducted himself, be it on or off the field. If fluidity in batting defined his forays to the crease, the southpaw always exuded a friendly vibe in the public space. Easy to laugh and equally quick to do a bhangra with his team-mates in the dressing room, effervescence was Dhawan’s essential trait.

At 38, the former India opener, and one, who sporadically captained the Men in Blue in limited-overs cricket, bowed out of the willow game. Through a video he posted on his social media handles, Dhawan announced his retirement on Saturday (August 24, 2024) morning. Even in this, he was media-friendly, giving ample time for correspondents to chew on their thoughts and give expression to their reactions.

Strangely, Dhawan, the lord of runs in the shorter formats, suffered a dull start with a duck on his ODI debut against the Aussies at Visakhapatnam in 2010. Before that game, skipper M.S. Dhoni spoke about how he and Dhawan had come through the rungs and that the opener deserved his opportunities. In Tests, however, Dhawan reversed the trend, hammering a 187 against the Aussies during his debut at Mohali in 2013.

The post-hundred celebrations were effusive, bat raised, slapping his thighs like a kabaddi player or wrestler, and an instant connect was established with the public. But as years raced by, it was evident that Dhawan was cut for the hustle of ODIs and T20Is and the numbers make it explicit: 2315 Test runs at an average of 40.61, an ODI yield of 6793 at 44.11, a T20I kitty of 1759 at 27.92 and 6769 in the Indian Premier League.

The boisterous man from Delhi seemed an organic replacement for Sourav Ganguly atop the batting tree in limited-overs cricket. Both were left-handed batters even if on an aesthetic scale, Ganguly remained the king. Dhawan was always busy, cutting, hoisting, shuffling forward to the spinners and whipping pacers. He was remarkably effective and forged good opening alliances with Murali Vijay in Tests and Rohit Sharma in ODIs.

And whenever the other seniors took a break for some random limited-overs tours, Dhawan led the squad and enjoyed the responsibility. The post-match dressing room videos would often be about him egging his mates to dance with abandon, and in this he was Yuvraj Singh’s natural successor.

Often an insight into a player is revealed when he or she is going through a bad patch. During the 2014 tour of England, one in which James Anderson was having Virat Kohli for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Dhawan too went through a sombre phase, and he was dropped towards the tail-end of the Test series. His Delhi senior Gautam Gambhir was preferred, but at nets, Dhawan was his usual self.

Vijay was training and Dhawan would yell: “Macha I will bowl.” He ambled in, turned his arm over and helped his fellow opener finesse his shots. This surely was a man at peace with himself. Dhawan last played for India in 2022, and the team may have moved on, but captain Rohit will surely feel his friend Gabbar’s absence and so will many in the change-room.

Shikhar Dhawan’s retirement speech

| Video Credit:
The Hindu

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.

“As I close this chapter of my cricketing journey, I carry with me countless memories and gratitude. Thank you for the love and support! Jai Hind!,” Dhawan said in a post on ‘X’.

“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. As I bid goodbye to my cricket journey, I have peace in my heart that I played for so long,” he said.

A product of Sonnet Club and a fighter from West Delhi, Dhawan appeared in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is for India but had fallen out of favour in the last couple of years due to patchy form and the emergence of younger opening talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.

His best came in the 50-over format in which he amassed 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.

“I am standing at a point in my life where when I look back, I see only memories, and when I look ahead, I see a new world. I had just one goal in life, to play for India, and I made it happen,” he said.

“I am very thankful to DDCA (Delhi and Districts Cricket Association), the BCCI and my fans. And that’s why I tell myself, don’t be sad that you won’t play for India again but be happy that you played for your country. And that’s the biggest thing for me, that I played,” he said in his concluding remarks in the social media post.

The Delhi-born batter didn’t enjoy a memorable beginning to his international career, getting dismissed for a two-ball duck.

However, after initial struggles, Dhawan returned to the Indian team in 2013 and cemented his place across all three formats with some fine performances including being named the Player of the Tournament in India’s triumphant campaign in the Champions Trophy in England.

One of the highlights of his illustrious career was the brilliant 185 he scored against Australia on his Test debut in Mohali, having raced to his century in just 85 balls with a flurry of boundaries.

Dhawan, however, could have been even out 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.

At his peak, the Delhi swashbuckler was a sight to behold with his range of strokes and ability to hit powerfully.

Dhawan did not forget to thank the people who helped him become his player, forming an excellent partnership with Rohit Sharma at the top of the Indian batting order.

“I always had one goal in mind which was to play for India, and I achieved it thanks to a lot of people. First of all, my family, my childhood coaches Tarak Sinha and Madan Sharma, under their guidance, I learnt cricket.

“Then my entire team with whom I played for years, got another family, fame and everyone’s love and support. I just say this to myself that don’t be sad that you won’t play for your country again but always be happy that you played for your country. And it’s the biggest achievement for me that I played,” Dhawan added in the video.

He is a bonafide IPL legend, appearing in 222 matches, that yielded 6769 runs, including two hundreds and 51 half centuries.

His 768 fours in the tournament are the highest by any batter and he also holds the distinction of being the first to hit consecutive hundreds in the event.

He was a part of the title-winning Sunrisers Hyderabad team in the 2016 season. He has also played for Delhi, Mumbai and Punjab. Of these, he captained Delhi and Punjab at various stages of his career.

He had appeared for Punjab this season but played in only five matches owing to fitness issues.