Which was Shikhar Dhawan’s last match for India?
Team India opener Shikhar Dhawan on Saturday, August 24, announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket with immediate effect. His last international game came during the ODI series against Bangladesh in 2022.
With the likes of Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ruturaj Gaikwad coming up the ranks, Dhawan fell down the pecking order in the last couple of years. His final T20I appearance was on the Covid-ravaged Sri Lanka tour in July 2021, while he last donned the Test whites in 2018.
The Delhi-born cricketer, who played all three formats, had an awful final series with the bat. The left-hander accumulated only 18 runs across three ODIs, with the highest score of eight.
Opening alongside skipper Rohit Sharma in the first ODI in Dhaka, Shikhar Dhawan was cleaned up by Mehidy Hasan for only seven runs. Rohit suffered an injury in the first game and missed the remainder of the series. Dhawan opened with Virat Kohli in the next game and could only manage eight runs before getting out to Mustafizur Rahman. The 38-year-old scored three runs in what turned out to be his final match for India in Chattogram.
Overall, Dhawan played 167 ODIs for the Men in Blue, amassing 6793 runs, including 17 centuries, at an average of 44.11 and a strike rate of over 90.
Forging one of the most successful partnerships with Rohit Sharma at the top of the order, Dhawan had a breakthrough year in 2013, scoring 1,162 runs at an average of over 50. He was adjudged Player of the Tournament at the 2013 Champions Trophy, which started his dream run in ICC tournaments.
"I've told myself to not feel sad that you won't play for India again" - Shikhar Dhawan on his retirement
Shikhar Dhawan took to social media to announce his retirement from all forms of cricket. He shared an emotional video early morning on August 24.
In a 77-second video, Dhawan said:
"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. I am leaving with peace in my heart that I played so long for India. I've told myself, 'Don't feel sad that you won't play for India anymore, but feel happy that you played for the country.'"
Besides 167 ODIs, Shikhar Dhawan also featured in 34 Tests and 68 T20Is, amassing 4074 runs across the two formats.
He last played for the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He is currently the second-highest scorer in the cash-rich league after Virat Kohli with 6769 runs in 222 games.