File image of Shikhar Dhawan with his son.© X (Twitter)
After announcing his retirement on Saturday, Shikhar Dhawan dedicated another heartfelt personal message to his 11-year-old son, Zoraver. Dhawan, who was granted divorce from ex-wife Aesha Mukherji in October 2023, lost custody of his son Zoraver. Instead, he was given only visitation rights and being allowed to connect via video calls. However, recent posts by Dhawan have signalled that he has been blocked from seeing Zoraver for months. Upon his retirement, Dhawan shared another few sincere words for his son.
"Zoraver is 11 now. I hope he gets to know about my retirement and all about my cricket journey. But more than as a cricketer, I would like for Zoraver to remember me as a good human being who does good deeds and brings positivity to people around him," Dhawan told Hindustan Times.
In December 2023, while wishing Zoraver on the latter's birthday, Dhawan had revealed that he had been blocked from seeing him or connecting with him in any way.
"I write messages to him every day, I don't know whether he is receiving those or not, whether he is reading them or not. I don't have any expectations. I have accepted it. I am a father and I am trying to do my duty. I miss him, I feel sad but I have learnt to live with it," he had said.
In IPL 2024, Dhawan had once again posted on Instagram regarding his son. This time, he revealed a jersey of his franchise Punjab Kings with Zoraver's name on its back.
"You're Always with Me, My Boy," Dhawan had captioned it.
After an 11-year marriage, Dhawan was granted divorce from estranged wife Aesha Mukherji, who is based in Australia, on grounds of "mental cruelty". The court had ruled that Dhawan would not be given custody of Zoraver, instead allowing Zoraver to meet Dhawan and his family on trips to India and Australia.