Shikhar Dhawan retires | 'Usse accha lagta tha whenever I..': When Dhawan shared Rohit’s go-to song during their time as openers

Shikhar Dhawan (Pic: File Pic)

India's star opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan recently opened up on his bond with skipper Rohit Sharma, while revealing the song that the latter liked to sing while the duo used to open innings together.

Speaking to Star Sports, Dhawan said: "I have opened with him for 8-10 years, so I have a strong bond with him. He is a gem of a person. Usse bada achha lagta tha jab mai ek gaana gaata tha pitch pe (he used to like it a lot whenever I sang one particular song), 'putt jattan de bulaonde bakre'. So he would look at me and then sing the same song. It is one moment that repeated often. He remembered a couple of lines from the song, which he used to sing and then laugh."

The 38-year-old Dhawan brought the curtains down on his illustrious career by taking to Instagram and sharing an emotional message to announce his decision. He thanked everyone who supported him in his remarkable career, which saw him earn various accolades.

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"I am standing at a point where when I look back, I only see memories and a new life when I look forward. It was always my dream to play for India, and I got to live it. I am thankful to a lot of people for that. First of all, my family, my childhood coaches and then my team that I played with for so many years. I got a new family, fame and love. But it is said that to move forward, you need to flip the pages," Dhawan said in a video posted on his official Instagram handle.

Also Read: Shikhar Dhawan retires: Will he be available to play in IPL next year?

Shikhar Dhawan retires: A glimpse into his opening stints with Rohit Sharma

Dhawan and Sharma are one of the most successful opening duo of modern-day cricket. The duo started opening together during the Champions Trophy 2013 when the right-hander was promoted from middle-order to the opening slot along with Shikhar, who was just trying to solidify his spot in the team back then.

From 2011-2022 in 173 innings, they both scored 6,984 runs together at an average of 40.84, with 22 century partnerships and 22 half-century partnerships. Their best partnership was 210 runs. They together starred in some of India's most memorable wins of 2010s, mainly in the white-ball cricket, including the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 triumph.

Shikhar Dhawan last donned the Indian jersey in December 2022 against Bangladesh. Rohit Sharma recently led the side in the T20 World Cup 2024. He is currently leading Team India in the ODI series against Sri Lanka.

(With ANI Inputs)