Former India captain Virat Kohli honored his former opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan a day after his retirement. Kohli praised Dhawan for his performances and sportsmanship. The 35-year-old commended Dhawan’s happy nature and wished him all the best for his future endeavors.
Dhawan was the first-choice opener during Kohli’s captaincy. The two players from Delhi shared a great bond. On Saturday, August 24, he announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket.
He represented Team India in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is scoring a total of 10,867 runs across formats with 24 centuries and 44 half-centuries. He is also one among top ten run-getters for the Men in Blue in ODIs with 6793 runs.
Kohli wrote on X:
“@SDhawan25 from your fearless debut to becoming one of India’s most dependable openers, you’ve given us countless memories to cherish. Your passion for the game, your sportsmanship and your trademark smile will be missed, but your legacy lives on.”
“Thank you for the memories, unforgettable performances and always leading with your heart. Wishing you the best in your next innings, off the field Gabbar!”
Shikhar @SDhawan25 from your fearless debut to becoming one of India's most dependable openers, you've given us countless memories to cherish. Your passion for the game, your sportsmanship and your trademark smile will be missed, but your legacy lives on. Thank you for the…
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) August 25, 2024
Shikhar Dhawan has the top batting average in ICC events, surpassing that of Virat Kohli
Shikhar Dhawan has managed to build up quite a record during his 24-year long career on the international scene. The following are just some of them: In ODI World Cups and Champions Trophies, Dhawan has the highest average (minimum 1000 runs).
The southpaw scored 1238 runs in 20 innings and maintained an average of 65.15 with six centuries along the way. In this category, he is second only to Virat Kohli (2324 @64.55), Saeed Anwar (1204 @63.36), Viv Richards (1013 @63.31), and Kane Williamson (1512 @63).
Dhawan has the highest individual score by an Indian debutant in Test cricket with 187 runs against Australia. He made a century on his debut match that took him only 85 balls. Throughout his career, he shared 18 century partnerships with a renowned cricketer named Rohit Sharma.
In terms of cumulative centuries, they were only behind Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly who had raised the bar to 21. Among all opening pairs, the total partnership runs of Dhawan and Rohit comes fourth after those of Tendulkar-Ganguly, Adam Gilchrist-Matthew Hayden, Gordon Greenidge-Desmond Haynes.
Among 10 batsmen to have reached a century within their three digit ODIs is that batter from Delhi who scored it in the 100th match. In this edition of IPL, Shikhar Dhawan is placed second after Virat Kohli as he made 6769 heroes while playing just 222 matches while Kohli produced 8004 runs in 252 game series.
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