Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag congratulated Shikhar Dhawan as he drew curtains on an illustrious career on August 24. Sehwag recalled the time Dhawan replaced him in the Test side during the home series against Australia and carried on his legacy to take on the bowlers early on.
“Badhaai ho Shikkhi. Ever since the time you replaced me in Mohali, you didn’t look back and some top performances over the years. May you continue to have fun and live life to the fullest. Very best wishes always,” Sehwag wrote on X in reply to Dhawan’s video announcing his retirement.
In 2013, Sehwag was dropped from the playing XI after a single-digit score in the Hyderabad Test. Dhawan replaced Sehwag as the latter failed to cross the 50-run mark in his last nine innings. His last Test century came against England in Ahmedabad three and a half months before.
Dhawan’s record-breaking Test debut
Dhawan did not disappoint on his Test debut as she smashed records with a 187-run knock in Mohali against the Michael Clarke-led side.
Dhawan broke Lala Amarnath's record for most runs scored in debut Test. He also broke the record for fastest century on debut from just 85 balls. The left-handed batter was named 'Player of the match' as MS Dhoni-led India beat Australia by six wickets. Dhawan considers it as his best knock in red-ball cricket.
“My Test debut in 2013, where I made 187 against Australia. When I made a century in 85 balls, I had no clue that I had set a world record for the fastest century by a debutant,” the southpaw told Hindustan Times.
Dhawan’s Test career
Dhawan went on to play 34 Tests for India. He scored 2,315 runs from 58 innings at an average of 40.61 including seven centuries and five half-centuries. His strike rate of 66.94 was not par with Sehwag but impressive in the format of the game.
However, he could not replicate the success at home in overseas conditions. After a disappointing run on England soil in 2018 where he did not score a half-century from four Tests.
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