"Always be happy that you played for your country" - Shikhar Dhawan retires from international & domestic cricket
An icon of Indian cricket, Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from internationals and domestic formats with immediate effect on Saturday (August 24). The left-handed opening batter represented India in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is.
Dhawan, in a social media post, expressed his gratitude at being able to represent the country and thanked his childhood coaches Tarak Sinha and Madan Sharma, family members and teammates.
“I always had one goal in mind that 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. As it’s said that to move ahead in the story you need to flip over the pages. Hence, I’m also doing that, I’m announcing my retirement from international and domestic cricket," said Dhawan in the video.
"And now when I’m bidding adieu to my cricketing journey, I have the satisfaction that I played a lot for my country. I’m really thankful to the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and DDCA (Delhi & District Cricket Association) for giving me this opportunity and all of my fans for their 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,” he added.
After making his debut against Australia in 2010, Dhawan scored 10,867 international runs for India to rank 12th in the all-time chart. He also represented Delhi in over 400 domestic matches since 2004.
What Shikhar Dhawan meant for India
The southpaw scored a brilliant century on Test debut against Australia, giving the impression that he could be one of India's best in the format. However, his real impact was seen in white-ball cricket, especially ICC tournaments, with his World Cup average forever shining bright at 53.70.