A look into the life of former Indian cricketer, who is renowned by the title of 'Mr ICC' even today, but retired at 37. Here's how much he suffered both personally and professionally in his life.
The current squad of the Indian cricket team has more than ten players who are in their 30s. While Rohit Sharma (37), Virat Kohli (36), and Ravichandran Ashwin (38) are in their late 30s, players like Ravindra Jadeja (35), Mohammed Shami (34), and Suryakumar Yadav (34) are soon going to join them. Along with all these experienced players, we have a series of youngsters like Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Rinku Singh, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and many more.
Today, we are going to talk about a player who was dropped multiple times in his career by the selectors for no concrete reasons. Despite being more prolific than Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in ICC tournaments, he never got the recognition or support from the selectors he deserved for his contribution. The cricketer we are talking about is renowned by multiple nicknames, Mr ICC, Jatt-Jee, and 'Gabbar'. Yes! You're right, we are talking about Shikhar Dhawan, who is still considered as one of the most fearsome openers of his era.
For the uninitiated, Shikhar Dhawan holds the record for scoring the fastest century on his Test debut. The explosive left-handed batter made his Test debut against Australia in 2013 and completed his century in just 85 balls. Not only this, but it was also the highest score scored by an Indian cricketer on his Test debut. Only Virender Sehwag and Mohammad Azharuddin are the two players who have scored a century in fewer balls, 74 and 78, respectively. However, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are far from Shikhar's record.
In an old interview, 1983 World Cup winner, Ravi Shastri was asked about Shikhar Dhawan's absence from the Indian cricket team. In response, the former coach of the Indian cricket team admitted that he was a crucial and beneficial asset for the team. Ravi Shastri added that having a left-handed opener, and that too as explosive as Shikhar was a big advantage for India. He also stated that people never give enough credit to Shikhar Dhawan for his contribution to Indian cricket.
Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on August 24, 2024, bidding farewell to IPL (Indian Premier League). After being dropped in a series of tournaments since 2018-19, he finally announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after he wasn't named in the squad for the 2023 World Cup. Shikhar Dhawan is also the second player in IPL's history to score most runs. The cricketer has played for five teams in the IPL and has hit 6769 runs in 222 matches. Shikhar Dhawan left the IPL and joined the inaugural Nepal Premier League (NPL) as he joined Karnali Yaks.
For the uninitiated, Shikhar Dhawan fell in love with his ex-wife, Aesha Mukherjee, on the social media platform Instagram after the latter's content caught his attention. After talking to each other for some time, they started dating and got married in October 2012. It was Aesha's second marriage as she was previously married to someone and even had two kids, Rhea and Aliyah, with him. Shikhar and Aesha welcomed their first child, a baby boy, Zoravar, in 2014.
Unfortunately, Shikhar Dhawan and Aesha Mukherjee parted ways in October 2023 after a rough divorce battle in the court. The cricketer shared that his wife refused to move to India because she didn't want to leave her daughters. Not only this, Shikhar also alleged that he purchased a few properties in Australia due to his wife. The biggest reason for the divorce was that Shikhar lived far from his son, Zorawar. The Delhi court granted Shikhar Dhawan divorce on the grounds of 'cruelty' by his ex-wife, Aesha Mukherjee.
Shikhar Dhawan is still living away from his son, Zorawar, and the doting father penned an emotional note on Father's Day on June 16, 2024. The cricketer revealed that he couldn't talk to his son, Zorawar, even on Father's Day. However, he still shared the positive message of staying strong with all the fathers in a similar situation. Along with the note, Shikhar posted a beautiful picture of himself posing with his father and son. We hope Shikhar and Zorawar reunite soon and stay together for the rest of their lives.
What are your thoughts on Shikhar Dhawan's personal and professional lives? Let us know.
Also Read: Mithali Raj's Marriage: Wedding Rumours With Shikhar Dhawan, A Guy Told Her To Quit Cricket, More