Indian cricket fraternity wishes Shikhar Dhawan on his 38th birthday
Dec 05, 2023
New Delhi [India], December 5 : The Indian cricket fraternity on Tuesday took to social media to extend their wishes to India batter Shikhar Dhawan, who turned 38.
The elegant southpaw has had a remarkable career, representing India in all three formats of the game. The huge match player has yet to retire and is still active on both the domestic and international circuits.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) joined the choir of well-wishers in congratulating the accomplished player on the social media platform X. In a post on X, BCCI highlighted Dhawan's extraordinary cricketing journey, recognising his impressive figures throughout 269 international matches and a total of 10,867 international runs.
https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1731876944831213711
The cricket board also recognised his substantial contribution to India's achievement, as a key member of the team that won the Champions Trophy in 2013.
"269 intl. matches. 10,867 intl. runs. 2013 Champions Trophy winner. Here's wishing @SDhawan25 a very Happy Birthday!" BCCI posted on X.
Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Punjab Kings also congratulated the batter and wrote, "The eyes, Chico, they never lie."
https://twitter.com/PunjabKingsIPL/status/1731878692576690562
Team India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul also wished Dhawan and posted a story on his Instagram account. 
Former India player Robin Uthappa took to X and wrote, "Happy birthday bro @SDhawan25! Wishing you a smashing year. Lots of love champ!"
https://twitter.com/robbieuthappa/status/1731912258547237171
Dhawan, who has represented India in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is with over 10,000 international runs, has a meritorious report card in 50-over global ICC tournaments.
He has featured in the 2013 and 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2015 and 2019 editions of the Cricket World Cup, in these, he has amassed 1,238 runs at 65.15 average, including six centuries.
Dhawan played a vital role in India's 2013 Champions Trophy triumph. He topped the batting charts in the showpiece event, winning the 'Man of the Tournament' award. In five matches, he scored 363 runs at an average of 90.75, with two centuries and one fifty. His best score was 114.
Though India's 50-over World Cup title defence stopped at the semifinal in 2015, 'Gabbar' still won many hearts with his batting performances, massively outdoing both Rohit and Virat. In eight matches, he aggregated 412 runs at an average of 51.50, with two centuries and one fifty. He finished the event as India's top scorer and overall, the fifth-highest scorer in the tournament.
It was the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy that saw Dhawan return to prime form. In India's runner-up finish, it was Dhawan who topped the tournament's batting charts in yet another ICC tournament. He scored 338 runs in five matches at an average of 67.60, with one century and two fifties, with a best score of 125.
In India's 2018 Asia Cup win, Shikhar impressed once again, helping India clinch their seventh title. In five matches, he scored 342 runs at an average of 68.40, with two centuries.
Dhawan last played for India a year ago, when he appeared in an ODI series in Bangladesh.
