In August of 2024, Shikhar Dhawan announced retirement from all forms of Indian cricket and thus bringing down curtains on one of the most prolific ODI careers for an opening batter. Dhawan was nicknamed ‘Mr. ICC’ for his knack of stepping up in global tournaments. When India lifted the Champions Trophy in 2013, he won player-of-the-tournament award for being its top-scorer. He again topped the batting charts at the 2015 ODI World Cup and 2017 Champions Trophy. He averaged a stunning 65 in ICC competitions. In 167 ODIs, Dhawan made 6793 runs at 44.11 including 17 centuries and 39 half-centuries. India’s Bangladesh tour of 2022 would become the final of his international career after he managed a mere 18 runs across three innings. The tour saw Ishan Kishan, then 24, smash a record ODI double-century, becoming just the fourth ever Indian to do. Having watched his younger teammate smash 210 off 131 with the help of 24 fours and 10 sixes, Dhawan realised this is the end of his India career. “I was scoring lots of 50s, I didn’t score a 100 but I scored lots of 70s. When Ishan Kishan scored that 200, my instinct told me, alright boy, this can be the end of your career. An inner voice came to me. And that’s what happened. Then I remember my friends came over to you know, give me that emotional support. They thought that I would be very down. But I was chilling, I was enjoying,” Dhawan told Hindustan Times. Dhawan scored 3 runs in that contest against Bangladesh as India registered a massive 227-run win. It would be the last time that the left-handed batter would appear in India colours. When asked if any of the India teammates got in touch with him after being dropped from the side, the 39-year-old replied in negative before adding that losing his place in the team isn’t something that shocked him as he’s been used to it since age-group cricket. “No, it doesn’t happen that way (teammates messaging after someone being dropped). Maybe I spoke to Rahul (Dravid) bhai. He messaged me. Everyone has their own journey and they are doing work or they are on tours, that’s something very normal. We are used to it from the age of under 14, this is not the first time I am getting dropped or getting in,” Dhawan said.