On being asked to name the funniest Indian cricketer, former batter Shikhar Dhawan ignored the likes of Rohit Sharma and Yuzvendra Chahal who are known for their unmatched humour on and off the field. Instead, Dhawan, who announced his retirement on Saturday, picked star batter Virat Kohli as the funniest of the lot. Dhawan played a total of 110 limited-overs matches together, including 87 ODIs and 23 T20Is with Kohli. The pair also spent a lot of time in the domestic circuit, representing Delhi during the early stage of their careers.

“Virat Kohli is the funniest in the Indian team. I share a great bond & relationship with him we played together from childhood days,” Dhawan told Hindustan Times.

Dhawan, who made his India debut during an ODI against Australia, drew curtains on his illustrious career on August 24, 2024.

Dhawan’s last outing was in IPL 2024 where he played just five games due to an injury concern. He played 222 IPL matches in his career and scored 6769 runs including two hundreds and 51 half centuries. His 768 fours in the tournament are the highest by any batter.

The southpaw’s career flourished as an India opener pairing with Rohit and he went on to become the second-fastest Indian to complete 6,000 ODI runs. He took 140 innings to reach the milestone figure in the 50-over cricket. Kohli was the fastest to achieve the feat in 136 innings.

Dhawan ended his ODI career with 6793 runs in 167 matches including 17 centuries and 39 half-centuries. His average in the format stands at 44.11.

In Test cricket, the 38-year-old made an impressive start in the debut innings against Australia in 2013. The opener smashed the fastest century by a debutant in the red-ball cricket. He reached the three-figure mark in 85 balls in Mohali and went on to register the highest individual score by a debutant for India in Test cricket. Dhawan played a memorable knock of 187 in his Test curtain-raiser but missed out on the much-deserved double ton.

(With IANS Inputs)