Left or right, copy book or innovative, class or belligerence, the Shikhar Dhawan-Rohit Sharma partnership was one made in heaven and was a touch above the rest. No pair has enthralled the audience at this level after the Sachin-Sourav combination.

After opening for India in 115 ODIs, the Hitman-Gabbar duo amassed 5148 runs together, the second-highest for an Indian pair, and left countless memories for us fans to cherish.

As Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket last week, let us glance through some of those beautiful memories painted by the wonderful Rohit-Shikhar duo, which are etched in our hearts forever….

127 runs vs South Africa, Champions Trophy 2013

It was the first ODI opening together for the Hitman-Gabbar duo and they made it a memorable start. In India’s first match at the Champions Trophy in Cardiff in 2013, they put on an entertaining partnership of 127 to ensure that India started on a victorious note against South Africa.

Hitman scored an 81-ball 65 and Dhawan smashed his first ODI century finishing with 114 off just 94 balls to take India to a 26-run win.

176 runs vs Australia, 2013

Down 1-0 in the series, the Hitman-Gabbar duo lit up the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur with their breathtaking stroke play and reduced the Australian side to mere spectators. The fans were in for a treat as the dominant duo put on 176 runs in just 26 overs.

Dhawan was unlucky to miss out on a well-deserved century as he got out for 95 but Hitman stayed till the end with an unbeaten 141 to see India home by nine wickets.

136 runs vs Pakistan, Champions Trophy 2017

Another big match, another Rohit-Dhawan show for the fans to enjoy. The pair sizzled with a 136-run association in India’s first match at the Champions Trophy 2017 against arch-rivals Pakistan at Birmingham.

Batting first, the Hitman-Gabbar pair laid the foundation for a big total scoring 91 and 68, respectively as India cruised to a 124-run win, a memorable start to their Champions Trophy 2017 journey. 

210 runs vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2018

Nothing gets better than an India-Pakistan match at a multi-team tournament. The dashing duo brought up their highest partnership of 210 runs against Pakistan in an Asia Cup 2018 Super Four match.

Chasing 238, both batters scored swashbuckling centuries to make light work of the chase as India romped home with a nine-wicket win and more than 10 overs to spare. Hitman remained unbeaten on 111 whereas Dhawan was dismissed for 114 after his thrill-a-minute show.

127 runs vs Australia, ODI World Cup 2019

Both RO and Dhawan owned the big stage as they brought out their best in crunch situations. They proved this once again with their 127-run association against the mighty Australia at the ODI World Cup in 2019.

India got off to an excellent start on the back of enterprising knocks from Hitman (57) and Dhawan. That start pushed them to a huge total which proved out of reach for the Aussies. The Men in Blue won the contest by 36 runs with Shikhar Dhawan being declared Player of the Match for his 109-ball 117.