Why Was Shikhar Dhawan Called ‘Gabbar’? Here's An Interesting Anecdote

India's Shikhar Dhawan (X.com)India's Shikhar Dhawan (X.com)

On Saturday, India's Shikhar Dhawan, broke the internet by announcing his retirement from all formats of the game, drawing curtains on his illustrious almost a decade long career with the Indian blues.


Shikhar Dhawan Announces Retirement In An Emotional Video

In his retirement video, Shikhar Dhawan left all his fans with teary eyes as he said that ' I often tell myself, don't be sad that you won't play for India again but be happy that you played for your country. And that's the biggest thing for me, that I played." 

Affectionately called as 'Gabbar', Dhawan has played uncountable remarkable innings for the Men In Blue. A beast in the white-ball format, he played at 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is, amassing 6793 and 1759 runs, respectively and averaging 44.11 in ODIs and 27.92 in T20Is. 

Although he was last seen in action during the 2023 Indian Premier League season, where he was unfortunately sidelined due to injury, he bows out from the IPL as the second-highest run-getter after Virat Kohli.

In an old interview with SportsTak, Shikhar Dhawan revealed why he was called Gabbar. He revealed:

“I was playing in the Ranji Trophy and was at silly point. When the opposition team has a big partnership, players tend to be low on energy. But when I was there, I used to shout, 'Bahut yaarana hai suar ke bacchon' and everyone used to burst out laughing."

"Our coach (Vijay) kept my name Gabbar from there only. From there, the name became so famous that cricket fans all over the world now call me Gabbar only," he continued.

Interestingly, Dhawan was also a standout performer in domestic cricket, becoming a star in the 2004 U-19 World Cup. However, it wasn't until 2013 that he truly captured the attention of the Indian public and the rest is history.