Top 5 greatest innings by Shikhar Dhawan in cricket history

One of India’s flamboyant openers, Shikhar Dhawan, announced his retirement from international cricket on August 24, 2024. The southpaw provided fearless hitting another synonym as India did not have to look for another opener for almost a decade. He made his India debut with an ODI against Australia in October 2010 at the age of 25. His T20I debut came after eight months and it took almost three years for him to wear the Indian whites in 2013. The same year, he was named Player of the Series in the Champions Trophy 2013. Dhawan had a quirky style of tackling the short ball unlike, other renowned India openers, Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma. His jump shot over the covers had shutterbugs craving more. The former India opener is termed as the King of ICC tournaments in ODIs. He has the fifth-best average for any Indian batter in ODIs with an average of 44.11, overtaking the legend Sourav Ganguly (40.95). Speaking of his performance in ICC ODI events, in 20 innings, he averages 65.15, higher than Virat Kohli (64.55). Here Top five greatest knocks by Shikhar Dhawan: 1. 137 vs South Africa, MCG, World Cup 2015 Before entering the 13th match of World Cup 2015, India had the baggage of succumbing to Proteas thrice in as many meetings in the 50-over World Cups. South Africa and India held the number one and two ODI rankings respectively. India batted first and lost Rohit Sharma due to an unfortunate runout. Dhawan paired with Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane stitching partnerships of 127 and 125 respectively. He smashed 16 boundaries and two maximums ending his knock on 137 off 146 balls. He contributed with two catches on the field as India broke the Proteas jinx by 130 runs on the back of Dhawan’s Player of the Match performance. Also read: Shikhar Dhawan reflects on prospect of biopic on his life, reveals his pick of actors for role 2. 114 vs South Africa, Cardiff, Champions Trophy 2013 The game held importance not only for Dhawan, who was playing his first ICC tournament game, but also the Indian team. Rohit Sharma was promoted as India opener overnight, pairing with the southpaw ahead of India’s first game in Champions Trophy 2013. The duo put up a 127-run stand and Dhawan kept the scoreboard ticking. No other batter after them crossed the 40-run mark barring Ravindra Jadeja’s unbeaten 47. The opener scored 114 off 94 with 12 boundaries and one maximum and was adjudged Player of the Match. India managed to get off the mark with a 26-run victory in the marquee event. 3. 187 vs Australia, 3rd Test, Mohali, 2013 The long-awaited Test debut finally happened when Dhawan was provided the Test cap by none other than Sachin Tendulkar. After electing to bat first Australia posted 408 runs. Shikhar Dhawan and Murli Vijay paired for 289 runs for the first wicket. Out of those 289 Dhawan scored 187 off 174 with 33 boundaries and two maximums. He holds the record of the fastest century on Test debut. India posted 499 runs and managed to restrict Australia to 223 runs in their second innings. With 132 to chase, India scored 136 runs, losing four wickets as Dhawan did not bat. He won the Player of the Match award in his debut Test. The innings paved the way for Dhawan to feature in Champions Trophy 2013 after almost three months. Also watch: 3 most expensive cards owned by Shikhar Dhawan 4. 114 vs Pakistan, Dubai, Asia Cup 2018 Sunil Gavaskar had proclaimed the pitch to be an ‘absolute graveyard’ for the bowlers. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Jasprit Bumrah chipped in with two wickets each as the arch-rivals were restricted to just 237 runs. The Delhi batter was on song as he scored 114 runs off 100 deliveries, laced with 16 boundaries and two maximums, combining with Rohit to amass 210 runs for the first wicket. After getting run out in the 34th over, Dhawan sprinted to the dressing with the crowd up in a standing ovation. India eventually won the game by nine wickets and 63 balls remaining. 5. 117 vs Australia, The Oval, World Cup 2019 Playing his last 50-over ICC tournament, Dhawan was all over Australia’s bowling attack, partnered well by Rohit. The opening pair notched 127 runs for the first wicket and India were off to a great start. Dhawan maintained the tempo before falling for Mitchel Starc in the 37th over. He had a 39-run stand for the second with Kohli. The left-handed batters scored 117 runs in 109 balls with 16 boundaries, a testament to his resolute of not giving any air to Aussies. On the back of three-wicket hauls by Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India outclassed the Kangaroos by 36 runs. Dhawan was named as Player of the Match. However, due to a thumb injury, he had to cede his stay as India could not fill in a proper opener for the rest of the tournament.

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Top 5 greatest innings by Shikhar Dhawan in cricket history

The former India opener is termed as the King of ICC tournaments in ODIs.

5. 117 vs Australia, The Oval, World Cup 2019

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