NEW DELHI — India’s seasoned opener, Shikhar Dhawan, on Saturday, announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket.
The 38-year-old brought the curtains down on his illustrious career by taking to Instagram and sharing an emotional message to announce his decision. He thanked everyone who supported him in his remarkable career, which saw him earn various accolades.
“I am standing at a point where when I look back, I only see memories and a new life when I look forward. It was always my dream to play for India, and I got to live it. I am thankful to a lot of people for that. First of all, my family, my childhood coaches and then my team that I played with for so many years. I got a new family, fame and love. But it is said that to move forward, you need to flip the pages,” Dhawan said in a video posted on his official Instagram handle.
“I am announcing my retirement from international and domestic cricket. As I bid farewell to my cricketing journey, I have peace in my heart. I played a lot for my country. I only say this to myself, that you don’t need to be upset about not playing for your country again, but be happy that you had the opportunity to do so,” he concluded.
In his illustrious career, runs effortlessly came off Dhawan’s bat. He represented India across all formats, but ODI was his forte.
In 167 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 longest format of cricket, where he stitched up memorable partnerships with Murali Vijay, Dhawan garnered 2,315 runs in 34 matches at an average of 40.6. His Test career was laced with seven tons and five half-centuries.
In the T20I format, Dhawan made 68 appearances and scored 1,759 runs at an average of 27.9, including 11 fifties.
In the domestic circuit, Dhawan played 122 First-Class cricket matches and handsomely scored 8,499 runs at an average of 44.26, including 25 centuries and 29 fifties.
In List A, Dhawan played 302 matches and scored a whopping 12,074 runs at an average of 43.90. His remarkable statistics are further glistened by 30 centuries and 67 half-centuries. — (ANI)