Shikhar Dhawan, who recently announced his retirement from cricket, recalled his favorite innings as the World Cup century against Australia, where he played through a broken thumb and painkillers.
Shikhar Dhawan, who recently announced his retirement from cricket, singled out a memorable innings from his career, despite battling significant pain. During India’s second match of the 2019 ODI World Cup against Australia at The Oval, Dhawan played a remarkable knock of 117 off 109 balls, helping India post a strong total of 352/5.
What made this innings particularly special was that Dhawan was nursing a painful injury. Early in his innings, he was struck on the thumb by a delivery from Pat Cummins. The impact led to him needing multiple treatments from the team physio on the field. Despite the pain and later discovering a broken thumb, Dhawan continued to play, scoring a century that included 16 boundaries.
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“I have a few favorite innings that are close to my heart, especially the 2019 World Cup. We were playing a match against Australia. I was batting on 25 when I broke my thumb. The ball came at 150 clicks and hit my here (pointing at his left thumb). I popped painkillers and scored 117 from there,” Dhawan told Hindustan Times.
The former opener also fondly remembered his maiden ODI World Cup century, which came during the 2015 tournament against South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He credited former captain MS Dhoni for his support and persistence despite his recent dip in performance.
“The MCG one was also a very good knock of mine. More so because I wasn’t scoring runs prior to it. I am thankful to Dhoni for backing me and persisted with me in the World Cup. I was always able to play well in ODIs, but the occasional dip in form is inevitable. That’s when I scored those 137 runs. I like that one too,” Dhawan added.
Throughout his international career, Shikhar Dhawan played 34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is. His standout performances were in ODIs, where he accumulated 6,793 runs at an average of 44.11, with 17 centuries and 39 half-centuries.
Last Updated on August 24, 2024
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