One of the most formidable Indian white ball openers, his pairing with Rohit Sharma to amass 5148 runs from 115 innings, at an average of 45.55 with 18 centuries made them the fourth-highest opening duo scorers of all time
Dhawan was also India’s man for ICC tournaments with consistent stellar performances in the Champions Trophy and ODI World Cup tournaments since 2013
The iconic ‘Gabbar’ (film actor Amjad Khan) of ‘Sholay’ fame retired from this world at age 51 some 30 years ago. Now, the modern day ‘Gabbar’, dashing Indian left-handed batsman Shikhar Dhawan has retired from international and domestic cricket with immediate effect. It’s not yet clear whether he will continue to play in league cricket, including the IPL.
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One of India’s most formidable white ball openers, Dhawan, who is loved by cricket fans for his trademark twirl of the moustache and the kabaddi style thigh-five/thigh-slap celebration, took to social media to call time on his career spanning over 13 years for India, in which he played 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is scoring 2315, 6793 and 1579 runs respectively in the three formats.
“It’s important to turn the page to move forward in a story, and in life. That’s why, I am announcing my retirement from international and domestic cricket,” Dhawan said in his retirement video. “I’ve told myself to not feel sad that you won’t play for India again but feel happy that you played for the country.”
Dhawan, who last played for India in December of 2022 in an ODI against Bangladesh, scored 10,867 runs from 269 appearances for India in all three formats of the game, cracking 24 centuries and 44 fifties.
Together with Rohit Sharma, Dhawan formed India’s second-most successful opening pair in ODIs after Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. In fact, Rohit and Dhawan’s 5148 runs from 115 innings, at an average of 45.55 with 18 centuries makes them the fourth-highest opening duo scorers of all time.
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How nickname ‘Gabbar’ stuck
Nicknamed ‘Gabbar’ for his on-field delivery of dialogues from the iconic filmi character to lift the spirits of his teammates right from the Ranji Trophy days, Dhawan also earned for himself the distinction of being India’s man for ICC tournaments.
Dhawan played a stellar role in India’s first title victory in the Champions Trophy (in the 7th edition of the one-day international tournament) held in England and Wales in 2013. In the tournament, then Indian captain MS Dhoni fielded a brand-new opening pair of Dhawan and Rohit Sharma. Dhawan grabbed the opportunity with both hands scoring consecutive centuries against South Africa and West Indies. He went on to aggregate 363 runs in the tournament to win the Player of the Tournament award and receive the golden bat.
Developing a strong offside game with his elegant cover drives and cuts, Dhawan again emerged India’s highest scorer at the 2015 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, with 412 runs from eight matches at an impressive average of 51.5 runs.
His run of form continued in the 2017 edition of the Champions Trophy, where he amassed 338 runs at an average of 79.25 and a strike rate of 102.26 with his highest score being 125. However, despite his second successive golden bat award, India fell short in the last lap and lost the finals to Pakistan, which won the tournament for the first time.
As if picking up from where he left in 2017, Dhawan gave a glimpse of his top form in the 2019 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup as well, with a hundred against Australia, before a fractured thumb unfortunately ruled him out from the rest of the tournament. It turned out to be Dhawan’s final ICC tournament.
Fastest to 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 ODI runs
He is credited with being the joint-fastest Indian, along with Virat Kohli, to complete 1000 ODI runs and quickest to the 2000 and 3000-run mark.
Interestingly, though he emerged as one of India’s most formidable white ball openers, his debut in the ODIs against Australia in 2010 was eminently forgettable as he was dismissed for a two-ball duck.
Dhawan, however, hit back against Australia three years later, when on his memorable Test debut in Mohali, he smashed the fastest Test century by any batter on debut (in only 85 deliveries). He went on to score 187 runs in the first inning in 174 balls, which till day stands as a record for most runs on a Test debut by an Indian batter.
Despite having its big moments, his Test career overall did not pan out too well, ending with a tally of 2315 runs from 40 matches.
He also captained India in 15 games (12 ODIs and 3 T20Is) with a win-loss record of 8-5 (2 no-results). He led the side to ODI series wins against Sri Lanka in 2021, and West Indies and South Africa in 2022.
Rollicking IPL career too
Dhawan had a rollicking 222-game IPL career too as a batter representing five franchises – starting with Delhi Daredevils in 2008, and going on to play for Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings – scoring 6,769 runs. He was a one-time championship winner with the Sunrisers Hyderabad, in 2016, striking a formidable partnership with David Warner.
The southpaw rose to prominence in the 2004 U-19 World Cup, where he scored three centuries and scored 505 runs, but was a late bloomer, making his men’s international debut only in 2010 in the ODI series against Australia.
