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On the eve of Shikhar Dhawan’s farewell to Cricket, let’s celebrate his brilliant career!
On August 24, 2024, Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket. After being out of contention for the Indian team, Dhawan chose to end his illustrious career. Known as one of the finest openers, particularly in limited-overs cricket, the left-hander was renowned for delivering explosive starts for both India and his IPL teams. With his fearless strokeplay, Dhawan amassed a wealth of runs and set several remarkable records. Here, we will explore six of Shikhar Dhawan’s incredible records in cricket.
Shikhar Dhawan made a sensational entry into Test cricket, smashing 187 runs off 174 balls in his debut innings—the highest score by an Indian on Test debut. This remarkable performance came during the third Test against Australia in 2013. Dhawan's maiden Test century was scored at a strike rate of 107, featuring 33 fours and 2 sixes.
Shikhar Dhawan reached his maiden Test century in just 85 balls, setting the record for the fastest century on Test debut. He became the first Indian and only the second batter in history to score a century on a Test debut in fewer than 100 balls. This blazing knock highlighted Dhawan's aggressive style and ability to dominate from the outset, marking a historic moment in his cricketing career and in Indian Test cricket history.
Shikhar Dhawan stands alone as the only batter to have maintained an average of 50+ and a strike rate of 90+ in both the ODI World Cup and Champions Trophy. The former Indian opener scored 537 runs in 10 matches across the 2015 and 2019 World Cup editions, averaging 53.70 with a strike rate of 94.21. Similarly, in the 2013 and 2017 Champions Trophy editions, he amassed 701 runs in 10 matches, averaging 77.88 with a strike rate of 101.59.
On February 10, 2018, Shikhar Dhawan celebrated his 100th ODI match in style, scoring 109 runs off 105 balls. This memorable performance made him the first Indian and the ninth batter overall to score a century in their 100th ODI. Dhawan’s century in this milestone match further asserted his reputation as one of India's most reliable openers in limited-overs cricket, marking another significant achievement in his illustrious career.
Shikhar Dhawan formed a formidable opening partnership with Rohit Sharma, making them one of the most successful opening duos in ODI cricket. Together, they opened for India in 115 ODI innings, compiling 18 century stands for the first wicket. This remarkable achievement ranks them second for the most hundred-run partnerships by an opening pair in ODI history. Their synergy at the top of the order consistently provided India with strong starts, contributing significantly to the team's success in limited-overs cricket.
In the 2020 IPL held in the UAE, Shikhar Dhawan made history by becoming the first batter to score centuries in consecutive innings. On October 17, 2020, he registered his maiden IPL hundred with an unbeaten 101 against Chennai Super Kings. Just three days later, Dhawan surpassed that milestone by scoring an unbeaten 106 against Kings XI Punjab. This remarkable feat highlighted his consistency and skill, making him one of the standout performers of the tournament.
In the modern era of Indian cricket, Shikar Dhawan has played a significant role in asserting our dominance on the global stage. His retirement marks the end of an era!
