Kohli's emotional farewell message for Dhawan

New Delhi: One of the top opening batsmen in the history of India, Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from cricket via an emotional video on social media. Following the news of his retirement, many former and current cricketers took the time to congratulate 'Gabbar' on a wonderful career. 

Over the course of the past decade the Indian national cricket team solidified themselves as one of the best batting units in the country. The team’s batting line-ups spearheaded by the deadly opening partnership of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma followed by Virat Kohli at No. 3 was enough for India to be feared by bowlers around the globe.

“Shikhar @SDhawan25 from your fearless debut to becoming one of India's most dependable openers, you've given us countless memories to cherish. Your passion for the game, your sportsmanship and your trademark smile will be missed, but your legacy lives on. Thank you for the memories, unforgettable performances and always leading with your heart. Wishing you the best in your next innings, off the field Gabbar!, Kohli wrote on X.

Dhawan and Virat Kohli played together for India from 2010-2022. The duo combined for 3430 runs and averaged a partnership score of 60.17 while stitching 10 centuries and 15 half-centuries

In Dhawan’s 13-year long international career, in which he played 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is scoring 2315, 6793 and 1579 runs respectively in the three formats. Alongside his impressive international career, Dhawan went on to represent Delhi Daredevils, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League where he played 222 games while scoring 6769 runs which included two centuries and 51 half-centuries.

Dhawan's final appearance for India was in an ODI against Bangladesh in Chattogram in December, 2022, while his last T20I was in Sri Lanka in July, 2021. He hadn't played a Test for India since 2018.