Shikhar Dhawan has announced his retirement from both international and domestic cricket

The left-handed batter scored 24 centuries across formats in 269 international matches for India

Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan has announced his retirement from his 14-year international career with a social media post on Saturday morning. Dhawan's last competitive appearance was in April, where he captained Punjab Kings in the 2024 IPL. He retires with 24 international centuries—17 in ODIs and seven in Tests—across 269 matches.

In a video posted on his social media accounts, Dhawan shared, "It's important to turn the page to move forward in life, which is why I'm announcing my retirement from international and domestic cricket. I'm at peace knowing that I had the opportunity to play for India for so long. Instead of feeling sad that I won't play for India anymore, I've reminded myself to feel grateful that I had the chance to represent my country."

Dhawan retires as a modern ODI great, joining an elite group of just eight batters in the format's history to score over 5,000 runs with an average above 40 and a strike rate over 90. Among Indians, only Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli share this distinction. Dhawan last represented India in the ODI series against Bangladesh in December 2022.

While Dhawan excelled across formats during his prime, his ODI achievements stand out, despite making a memorable Test debut with an 85-ball century against Australia in Mohali—the fastest ever by a Test debutant—where he scored 187 in a match-winning effort.

Dhawan's career peaked in 2013 when he amassed 1,162 runs in ODIs, averaging 50.52 with a strike rate of 97.89. The highlight was his 363 runs in five innings, including two centuries, during India's title-winning campaign in the Champions Trophy. This tournament marked his return to ODI cricket after a challenging period in 2010-11 and solidified his partnership with Rohit Sharma at the top of the order. Together, they became the fourth-highest run-scoring duo in ODIs and India's second-most successful pair after Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dawn

 

Dhawan's remarkable form extended beyond the 2013 Champions Trophy as he became a vital member of India's ODI team. He emerged as the top scorer for India in several major multi-team ODI tournaments, including the 2014 Asia Cup, 2015 World Cup, 2017 Champions Trophy, and 2018 Asia Cup.

However, in 2019, Dhawan faced his first major setback in ODIs when a thumb injury during the World Cup in England forced him out of the tournament after scoring a century against Australia at The Oval. Despite this, Dhawan's leadership qualities were recognized, and he captained India's second-string sides during the latter part of his international career in the absence of regular players.

In the IPL, Dhawan played for Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Punjab Kings. He is currently the second-highest run-scorer in the league, with 6,769 runs in 221 innings at a strike rate of 127.14, trailing only Virat Kohli.

India tour of New Zealand 2022

On the domestic front, Dhawan's early career was marked by success, including being part of Delhi's Ranji Trophy-winning team in 2007-08 when they defeated Uttar Pradesh. He also shone on the international stage early on, finishing as the top run-scorer for India at the Under-19 World Cup in 2004.