Shikhar Dhawan Willing to Try Politics: 'Open to Everything... Want to Jump High, Not Afraid of Falling'

Shikhar Dhawan, the Gabbar of Indian cricket, drew curtains on his illustrative career on Saturday after playing for the country for nearly a decade. It’s been two years since he last donned the national jersey. He did turn up in the IPL but was nowhere in India’s scheme of things. After representing the country in all three formats, he finally left the scene as a content man.

Also Read: The Gabbar of Indian Cricket Bows Out

While away from the action in international and domestic circuits, he focused on investing in different ventures and gaining fruitful returns. Speaking with Hindustan Times after his retirement, Dhawan said he aims to create wealth, adding that he is open to exploring new opportunities including the field of politics.

“My vision is to be successful and create wealth, not just for myself but for all those who are associated with me in my ventures. I’m open to everything, be it business, entertainment or even politics. I just want to go with the flow,” Dhawan was quoted as saying.

“My new affirmation is that I am God’s instrument — I would surrender myself to doing whatever God wants me to do. I just know that whatever I do will be a level above what I’ve already reached. My motto for myself as well as for all those who work with me is to have success and happiness go hand in hand,” he added.

Dhawan has also kept the option of getting into cricket commentary. But as of now, he aims to jump high and isn’t afraid of encountering failure.

“Woh bhi hai… but I am already making a good return through my ventures but…Of course, the option to do commentary, etc., is always there for me because of my expertise. But I want to try and do something new and bigger. I want to jump high, and I am not afraid of falling,” he added.

The 38-year-old made his international debut in 2010 in an ODI against Australia in Visakhapatnam and his last India game was also a 50-over match, against Bangladesh in 2022. Dhawan appeared in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is for India but had fallen out of favour in the last couple of years due to patchy form and the emergence of younger opening talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.

His best came in the 50-over format in which he amassed 6793 runs at an average of 44.11, including 17 hundreds and 39 fifties. He averaged 40.61 for his 2315 Test runs, which featured seven centuries.