Veteran India opener Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket on Saturday (August 24).

The southpaw last represented India during the ODI series against Bangladesh in December 2022. He fell out of favour in the last couple of years due to patchy form and emergence of young openers like Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

In a video posted on social media, Dhawan revealed his retirement decision while also thanking the fans for their love and support throughout his career.

“I only had one dream and that was to play for India and I even achieved that. I am thankful for so many people who contributed in my journey. First of all my family. My childhood coach Late Tarak Sinha, and Madan Sharma under whose guidance I learnt the basics of the game," Dhawan said.

“I would also like to thank my team with whom I have played cricket for so long. I got another family, I got name, fame and love of all the fans," he added.

“There is a saying you need to turn the page to read the full story. That’s what I am going to do. I am announcing my retirement from international and domestic cricket. When I am calling time on my career, I am at peace because I have played so much for country. I am thankful to BCCI and DDCA for giving me the opportunity. I am also thankful to the fans, who has given me so much love over the years," he further stated.

“I am telling myself one thing that don’t be sad that you will not be able to represent India again but he is happy that he has played for India for so long. For me the biggest thing is that I played,” he concluded.

Shikhar Dhawan, 38, made his India debut in an ODI against Australia at Visakhapatnam in 2010 but didn’t have a memorable beginning as he was dismissed for a two-ball duck.

However, after initial failures, the left-hander made his return to the Indian team in 2013 and went on to cement his place across all three formats through remarkable performances.

Dhawan slammed the fastest hundred by a player on Test debut off just 85 balls against Australia at Mohali in 2013. He also won the coveted ‘golden bat’ for being the highest run scorer in the back-to-back editions of the Champions Trophy in 2013 and 2017.

In 34 Tests, Dhawan scored 2315 runs at an average of 40.61 with seven hundreds and five half-centuries. In 167 ODIs, he aggregated 6793 runs at 44.11 including 17 hundreds and 39 fifties.

In 68 T20Is, Dhawan scored 1759 runs at an average of 27.92 and a strike rate of 126.36 with 11 half-centuries to his name.