Shikhar Dhawan retires from international cricket

NEW DELHI: Indian cricket player Shikhar Dhawan has officially ended his 14-year international cricket career, announcing his retirement in a social media post on Saturday morning.

Dhawan last played a competitive match in April, leading the Punjab Kings in the IPL. He steps away from the game with an impressive record of 24 international centuries (17 in ODIs and seven in Tests) across 269 matches.

In a heartfelt video shared on his social media accounts, 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.”

Dhawan retires as one of the modern greats in ODI cricket, becoming one of only eight batters in the format’s history to score over 5,000 runs with a 40-plus average and a 90-plus strike rate — joining fellow Indians Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli on this elite list. Dhawan’s last appearance for India was during the ODI series against Bangladesh in December 2022.

Bangladesh stands at 316-5 at stumps on day 3 against Pakistan