Dhawan retires from international cricket

'There's a sense of peace in my heart as I bid farewell to this journey', says the batter

Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket on Saturday.

"As I close this chapter of my cricketing journey, I carry with me countless memories and gratitude. Thank you for the love and support! Jai Hind!" Dhawan said in a video message on Instagram.

The 38-year-old hinted at continuing with the league cricket, such as Indian Premier League (IPL).

In a video posted on social media, Dhawan expressed that he's satisfied with his decision.

"There's a sense of peace in my heart as I bid farewell to this journey, knowing that I played a lot for my country," he said.

The left-handed batter said that he was grateful to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and his fellow team.

"I am thankful for so many people who contributed in my journey. First of all my family, my childhood coach late Tarak Sinha, and Madam Sharma under whose guidance I learned the basics of game. I would also like to thank my team with whom I have played cricket for so long. I got another family, I got name, fame and love of all the fans."

Since his debut in 2010 against Australia in Visakhapatnam, Dhawan has scored over 10,000 runs in international cricket.

The opening batter played 34 Test matches, 167 one-day internationals (ODIs), and 68 T20I for India.

Among all the formats, Dhawan gave his best in the 50-over format in which he scored 6,793 runs at an average of 44.11 while he averaged 40.61 for 2,315 Test runs.

The current captain of the Punjab Kings played his last match in the ODI format against Bangladesh in December 2022, and was later replaced by Shubman Gill.

He added: "Today, I stand at a point where looking back, there are only memories, and looking forward, the whole world is ahead."

Dhawan, who is the first man to hit back-to-back centuries in the IPL, talked about his goal of playing for India.

"I only had one dream and that was to play for India and I even achieved that," he said.

In the heartfelt video, Dhawan expressed that at times he gets sad for not playing for his country anymore.

"I tell myself not to be sad that I won't play for my country again," the left-handed concluded. "I am happy that I played for my country, and the biggest thing for me is that I played."

Injured Hazlewood to miss Scotland T20

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