Known as India's man of the moment in ICC tournements,
Shikhar Dhawan
always rose up to the occasion for his team on the big stage; and as the 38-year-old left-handed opener decided to bring his successful career in the sport to an end on Saturday, here's recalling how 'Gabbar' entertained in his prime.
In white-ball internationals, the southpaw played 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is, scoring 6793 and 1759 runs respectively.
He averaged 44.11 in ODIs and 27.92 in T20Is.
Dhawan's tally of centuries in limited-overs internationals totalled 17 -- all in ODIs. Besides that, he scored 39 ODI fifties and 5 in T20Is.
He played 34 Tests, scoring 2315 runs at an average of 40.61, including 7 hundreds and 5 fifties.
Here's a look at five of the best knocks in Dhawan's career:
117 vs Australia at The Oval in London, 2019 World Cup
A fractured thumb didn't deter Dhawan, and he produced one of the most grittiest innings in the history of ODI
cricket
. He was well set on 25 against Australia in the group game when a delivery with fire in its tail hit him smack on the thumb to leave the opener gasping in pain. But it probably spurred Dhawan on, and he went on to add another 92 runs to his knock with a fractured thumb to end up with 117 against his name that had 'guts' written all over it. India scored a mammoth 352 for 5, and then bowled the Aussies out for 316 to take home a 36-run win. But the fractured thumb ended Dhawan's World Cup early.
114 vs South Africa at Cardiff, 2013 ICC Champions Trophy
The ICC Champions Trophy was the grandest stage for Dhawan to showcase his skills since making his India debut in 2010, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Opening with Rohit Sharma, who was also re-establishing himself in the team by taking up the role of an opener, Dhawan went on to score his first century in ODIs. He put up a 127-run stand with Rohit (65) and then added another 83 runs with Virat Kohli (31) to power India to a huge total of 331 for 7. The Proteas put up a fight before being bowled out for 305, which earned India a 26-run victory.
187 vs Australia, Mohali Test, 2013
India were under pressure after Australia had put 408 on the board batting first in the third Test of the series in Mohali. Dhawan was making his debut and partnered Murali Vijay at the top of the order; and the left-hander went on to own the game in a blistering knock that produced 187 runs and an opening partnership of 289 with Vijay, who scored an equally impressive 153. Of Dhawan's 187 runs, 144 came in the form of a dominating 33 fours and 2 sixes. It laid the foundation of a first-innings lead for India and the eventual six-wicket win.
137 vs South Africa at Melbourne, 2015 World Cup
India had lost Rohit for zero in the third over of the match. But Dhawan led from there on, first with a partnership of 127 runs with Kohli (46) and then added 125 runs with Ajinkya Rahane (79) to take India past the 300-run mark (307 for 7). With 137 runs in 146 balls, Dhawan's knock gave India the momentum, which the bowlers cashed in on by dismissing the South Africans for just 177 in 40.2 overs. The innings was also significant for the fact that Dhawan had a forgettable ODI series Down Under just before the start of the World Cup.
190 vs Sri Lanka, Galle Test, 2017
It was Dhawan's comeback after nearly a nine-month absence, and he made it count in every way possible by scoring a stroke-filled 190 off just 168 balls after India batted first. Dhawan's 253-run second-wicket partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara (153) led to the visitors' massive first-innings total of 600 all out. Dhawan's dominance saw him hitting 31 fours that deflated the Lankan bowlers, as Pujara made a characteristic gritty century. India went on to score a massive win by 304 runs.
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