Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan has now spoken out for the first time about the time he knew his international cricket career was drawing to a close. It happened in a Bangladesh game at Chattogram – a match where he and Ishan Kishan opened the batting in Rohit Sharma’s absence. While Dhawan could only muster three runs, Kishan went on to deliver one of the most explosive ODI innings in history, scoring a jaw-dropping 210 off 131 balls.
That is when everything fell into place, Dhawan says.
“I was getting a lot of fifties at that time. I wasn’t scoring hundreds, but I was quite consistent with scores of 70s,” Dhawan told Hindustan Times in an interview, as his autobiography, The One, was set to be launched. “But the day Ishan played that double century, I had this feeling an internal voice which told me, ‘This could be it for you.’ And it proved to be true.”
Despite what was unfolding professionally, Dhawan shared that he wasn’t overwhelmed emotionally. “My friends came over, thinking I’d be down and out. But honestly, I was chilling. I had made peace with it.”
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With India getting ready for the 2023 ODI World Cup, the emergence of youth talent – particularly Shubman Gill – means the competition only increased. Dhawan, who is characterized by his composed nature and clutch knocks in ICC competitions, started to take a backseat in the selectors’ blueprint.
“Shubman was playing well in Tests and T20s, not only ODIs. So, obviously, he was in front of the coaches more frequently,” Dhawan said. “I was playing only ODIs by then. He was creating his own rhythm, his own aura and doing it naturally.”
Dhawan’s T20I career had already suffered when he was omitted from the 2021 T20 World Cup squad. He later captained a second-string India side in Sri Lanka in what proved to be his last T20I series.
“I sort of knew my name wasn’t going to be there for that World Cup,” he said. “You can tell these things. I didn’t even ask anyone why. What’s the use? They have their reasons, and I have mine. At the end of the day, it wouldn’t have made any difference.”
Throughout it all, Dhawan has shown grace and poise, embracing the transition with maturity and an open mind – a testament to the man he’s always been on and off the field.
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