"Jahan Meri Cricket Vishram Pe Aayegi": Shikhar Dhawan hints at his retirement

Shikhar Dhawan (Pic: File Pic)

India's star opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan has admitted that he has entered the phase of transition where his cricket career is about to end.

From scoring a century on his test debut to raising his bat to celebrate his century in his 100th ODI appearance for India, the left-hander has tasted success in his career.

But the journey of an athlete is not everlasting, it eventually comes to an end.

Dhawan has been away from India's squad for a while. The last time he represented India was in December 2022.

While he continues to drift away from the international stage, he has still been a regular face in the Indian Premier League. But after Punjab Kings crashed out of this season, a section of social media users have been speculating about the future of the seasoned batter.

While addressing his cricket journey, the calm, composed Indian opener accepted that his career was going through a transition.

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In an interview with ANI, the southpaw shared that he knows sporting careers come with an age limit and he might have to hang up his boots one day.

"I am also going through a transition 'Jahan Meri Cricket Vishram Pe Aayegi' and a new chapter in my life will start. You only have a certain age till you can play. It could be one year more, two years more, or xyz for me...," Dhawan said.

Despite being an outstanding opening batsman for India, Shikhar Dhawan is also known as one of the most decorated batsmen in the history of the Indian Premier League. Making his debut in IPL 2008, he is the first-ever batsman to score back-to-back centuries in the league. He is the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with a tally of 6,769 runs.

Even in the last edition, he racked up 373 runs at an average of 41.44, demonstrating his hunger to perform on the big stage. But this season, he managed to feature in only five games and missed the majority of the season due to a shoulder injury.

On April 9, Dhawan sustained a shoulder injury during the IPL 2024 match between Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

He even reflected on the nature of his injury and added, "Unfortunately I got injured this IPL season and could not play for Punjab except for 4-5 matches. It takes time to recover. I am still healing. I have not recovered 100 per cent yet."

Dhawan has been out of action on the field ever since he got injured, but he did come up with something special for his fans.

On May 20, his chat show 'Dhawan Karenge' was launched on JioCinema. He shot for the show before the IPL 2024 season.

On exploring new horizons with his hosting debut, Dhawan said that it was quite a learning and different experience for him.

"I will be honest...I was quite nervous initially as it was something new for me. 'Dil Dhak-Dhak Kar Raha Tha'..(heart was beating fast), especially when I was shooting with Akshay Paaji (Akshay Kumar). I was smiling in front of him but I was nervous for sure. I feel it's natural to get nervous when you start something new...but 'Ek Baari Flow Mein Aa Gaye Toh Phir Chakke-Chauke Pad Hi Jaate Hain' (once you get the hang of it, then it is just like smashing boundaries on the cricket field)," Dhawan laughed.

(With ANI Inputs)