Cricket Community Celebrates Shikhar Dhawan’s Illustrious Career

The cricket world celebrated Shikhar Dhawan's positivity and team spirit as he announced his retirement. The prolific opener, a key batsman in the post-Tendulkar era, ends a career with 34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is. Tributes poured in from teammates and cricket icons acknowledging his contributions and character.

The cricket fraternity lauded Shikhar Dhawan's infectious positivity and unyielding team spirit, honoring his iconic thigh-five celebrations as fans expressed their gratitude for his inspiring cricket journey. Dhawan, an exceptional top-order ODI batsman in the post-Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Sourav Ganguly era, announced his retirement two years after his last national team appearance.

Featuring in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is, Dhawan replaced Sehwag and received warm tributes from him on X: ''Badhaai ho Shikkhi. Ever since you replaced me in Mohali, you never looked back with top performances over the years. May you continue to enjoy life to the fullest. Best wishes always.''

Former India teammate and current head coach Gautam Gambhir also extended his wishes, ''Congratulations Shiki on a fantastic career! Spread the same joy in all your future endeavors.'' Indian cricketers Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer, along with Anil Kumble, acknowledged Dhawan's achievements and extended their best wishes. The BCCI also congratulated him as he embarks on a new journey.

(With inputs from agencies.)