Star Indian batsman Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket on 24 August (Saturday). Dhawan informed about this through a video post. Dhawan represented the Indian team in all three formats of cricket, but his record in white ball was very good. 38-year-old Dhawan has also been a part of the Indian team that won the Champions Trophy in 2013.
After Dhawan’s retirement, some more Indian cricketers may retire from international cricket in the coming time. These players have not got opportunities for a long time and this is unlikely to happen in the future too. Anyway, due to the youth getting priority, it is very difficult for such players to return to the national team. This list also includes a world champion player, who participated in the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Let’s know…
Piyush Chawla: 35-year-old Piyush Chawla was part of the Indian team in the Cricket World Cup 2011. Piyush was last seen playing for India in December 2012. Right-arm spinner Piyush has played three Tests, 25 ODIs and 7 T20 matches for India. He has seven Test, 32 ODI and 4 T20 International wickets to his name. Piyush represented Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Wriddhiman Saha: After Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s retirement from Test cricket, Wriddhiman Saha got a lot of opportunities as a wicketkeeper. However, later Saha’s career went downhill. Wriddhiman Saha last played against New Zealand in the year 2021. Wriddhiman Saha, who has played 40 Tests and 9 ODIs, is 39 years old. With KS Bharat, Ishan Kishan, Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant, the doors for Saha to return to the team have completely closed.
Ishant Sharma: At one time, fast bowler Ishant Sharma used to be an important member of the Indian team in Test cricket, but now his career is over in a way. Ishant Sharma has played 105 Tests, 80 ODIs and 14 T20 matches for India. Ishant took 311 wickets in Tests, 115 in ODIs and 8 in T20 Internationals. He played his last Test match against New Zealand in November 2021. 35-year-old Ishant Sharma is unlikely to return as the Indian team is now giving opportunities to young fast bowlers.
Amit Mishra: Right-arm legbreak bowler Amit Mishra has also not yet officially announced his retirement from international cricket. Amit last represented the Indian team in 2017, when he played in a T20 match against England. 41-year-old Amit played 22 Tests, 36 ODIs and 10 T20 matches for India. During this, he has taken 156 wickets. Amit played for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2024.
Karun Nair: Apart from Virender Sehwag, only Karun Nair has scored a triple century for India in Test cricket. However, after that triple century, the graph of 31-year-old Karun Nair went down instead of rising. The last time Karun Nair played a match for India was in 2017. Karun is now playing very little domestic cricket, so his comeback is quite difficult. Karun has played six Tests and two ODIs for India.
Manish Pandey: The story of middle order batsman Manish Pandey is also similar to that of Karun Nair. 34-year-old Manish Pandey could not capitalize on the opportunities he got. Pandey played 29 Tests and 39 T20 matches for India. During this, he scored 566 runs in ODIs and 709 runs in T20 Internationals. Pandey played his last match for India in July 2021.
Rishi Dhawan: Himachal Pradesh’s all-rounder Rishi Dhawan has also represented the Indian team at the international level. Rishi has played three ODIs and one T20 International match for India. During this time, he took 1-1 wickets in both ODIs and T20 Internationals. 34-year-old Rishi last played for India in June 2016.
Mohit Sharma: Right-arm fast bowler Mohit Sharma has participated in 26 ODIs and 8 T20 International matches for the Indian team in his career. During this time, he took 31 wickets in the ODI format. At the same time, he took 6 wickets in T20 International. 35-year-old Mohit played his last international match in the year 2015. Now it is difficult for him to get a chance. Mohit plays for Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL.
Umesh Yadav: Right-arm fast bowler Umesh Yadav has been out of Team India for many months. Umesh played his last match for India against Australia in June last year. 36-year-old Umesh has played 57 Tests, 75 ODIs and nine T20 Internationals for India so far. In Test matches, Umesh has taken 170 wickets at an average of 30.95. Apart from this, Umesh took 106 wickets in ODIs and 12 wickets in T20 Internationals.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been away from international cricket for almost two years. Bhuvi was last seen playing for India in November 2022. Anyway, after making his debut for India in 2013, Bhuvneshwar has been constantly struggling with injuries. 34-year-old Bhuvi has played only 21 Tests, 121 ODIs and 87 T20 matches. He took 294 wickets during this period. With the arrival of young bowlers in the Indian fast bowling unit, he is unlikely to get a chance in the future.
Jayant Yadav: Right-arm spinner Jayant Yadav also got a chance to play for India. Jayant played 6 Tests and two ODIs for India. Apart from taking 16 wickets in Test cricket, Jayant scored 248 runs. At the same time, he took 2 wickets in ODI International. 34-year-old Jayant last played for India in March 2022.
Cricket Career of Shikhar Dhawan:
T20 International – 68 matches, 1759 runs, 27.92 average, 11 half-centuries
One Day International – 167 matches, 6793 runs, 44.11 average, 17 centuries and 39 half-centuries
Test cricket- 34 matches, 2315 runs, 40.61 average, 7 centuries and 5 half-centuries
IPL – 222 matches, 6769 runs, 35.26 average, 2 centuries and 51 half-centuries
