NEW DELHI: Former India opener
Shikhar Dhawan's latest social media post has moved fans across the cricketing world, offering a deeply personal glimpse into the life of a player more often seen smiling on the field than speaking of his struggles off it.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Sharing a series of affectionate, previously unseen photographs with his son Zoraver, Dhawan penned a heartfelt message on Instagram:
“WCL mein jab doston ko apne kids ke saath khelte dekha… bas ek thought aaya, wish Zora was here. It would've been a different kind of joy. Later, I came across some of his childhood photos… and suddenly, all those memories came rushing back. Some moments really do stay closest to the heart.”
Among the pictures was one with
Rohit Sharma, another with Yuvraj Singh and a young Zoraver — a reminder of the family bonds cricket often hides behind the scoreboard.
In October 2023, Dhawan was granted a divorce by a Delhi court, which observed that he had suffered “mental distress” from being kept away from his only son for years. While visitation rights and video calls were allowed, Dhawan revealed to ANI earlier this year that he has since been blocked from all virtual communication. “I still send him messages every few days,” he said, holding onto hope.
Dhawan and Aesha Mukherjee, who married in 2011, separated after 11 years together. Aesha resides in Australia with Zoraver.
Away from his personal struggles, Dhawan was part of the India Champions squad that withdrew from their WCL fixture against Pakistan in England, in protest against the terror attack in Pahalgam — marking their second such boycott of the tournament.
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