Patiala, 24 August (Shahi)
Shikhar Dhawan, one of India’s most celebrated cricketers, has retired from all formats of the game. Affectionately known as “Gabbar,” Dhawan set numerous records during his illustrious career, many of which will be incredibly difficult for any other player to surpass. Let’s delve into some of his most significant achievements:
- Fastest Test Century on Debut: Dhawan made his Test debut against Australia in 2013 and promptly smashed the fastest Test century in his very first match, reaching the milestone in just 85 balls.
- Highest Score by an Indian Batsman on Test Debut: In the same match, Dhawan also recorded the highest score by an Indian batsman on Test debut, amassing 187 runs off 1174 balls. Although he missed out on a double century, his innings cemented his place in cricket history.
- First Indian to Score a Century in his 100th ODI: Dhawan became the first Indian, and only the ninth batsman overall, to score a century in his 100th One Day International. He achieved this feat against South Africa in 2018, surpassing the previous highest score by an Indian in their 100th ODI, which was 97 runs by Sourav Ganguly.
- Oldest Player to Captain Team India: In 2021, Dhawan led India in three ODIs and three T20Is against Sri Lanka in the absence of Virat Kohli. He became the oldest player to captain India in an ODI.
- Most T20 Runs for India in a Calendar Year: Dhawan ranks third in the list of Indian batsmen with the most T20 runs in a calendar year. In 2018, he scored 689 runs at a strike rate of 147.33 in 17 innings.
- Second-Fastest Indian to 6000 ODI Runs: Only Virat Kohli reached 6000 ODI runs faster than Shikhar Dhawan. Dhawan achieved this milestone in 136 innings, compared to Kohli’s 140. He finished his ODI career with 6793 runs in 167 matches.
- Dominance in Consecutive ICC Tournaments: Dhawan was consistently India’s highest run-scorer in three consecutive 50-over ICC tournaments. He topped the run-scoring charts in the 2013 Champions Trophy, 2017 Champions Trophy, and the 2015 World Cup.
