NEW DELHI: Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan, who retired from international and domestic cricket in August, shared that a lack of motivation to continue playing at the domestic level was a key factor in his decision.
The 38-year-old Dhawan played 34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is for India. He mentioned that after years of competing at the top level, his desire to endure the grind of domestic cricket faded.
"I didn't want to play domestic cricket, which I started playing at the age of 18 or 19. I didn’t have that inspiration from inside to play that kind of cricket anymore," Dhawan told PTI in an interview during the Legends League Cricket event.
Discussing his final years, Dhawan explained, "The last two years of my cricketing career, I wasn’t playing much international cricket and was going from IPL to IPL. I thought, 'Alright, I’ve played enough,' and realised that just training two or three months for the IPL wasn’t enough for me to stay in contention for a national call-up."
Dhawan played his last international match in December 2022, and he felt it was the right time to retire. "I wasn't playing much cricket overall, and that leads to losing touch as well. That’s when I decided it was time to step away."
Despite not clinching a World Cup during his career, Dhawan was satisfied with his career. "I was very happy and satisfied with whatever I achieved in my career, and very, very grateful for everything. Of course, we would have loved to win the World Cup, but I’m proud of what we did as a team."
Reflecting on his relationship with his longtime opening partner and current India captain Rohit Sharma, Dhawan shared his pride in Rohit’s journey. "He’s a great captain. I’m so happy that he led the team to the T20 World Cup win. We were waiting for that for a long time," Dhawan said.
The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the ...
Read MoreThe TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide.
From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more.
The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics.
We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects.
We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.
Read Less
Start a Conversation
Post comment