Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan has tugged at heartstrings with a poignant Instagram post celebrating his son Zoravar’s birthday. The heartfelt message, accompanied by a screenshot of a video call, lays bare the emotional struggles of a father separated from his child amid a custody battle.
In an emotional message, Dhawan claimed that he has been blocked from every possible virtual platform through which he could connect with his son. He wrote, “It’s been a year since I saw you in person, and now, for almost three months, I’ve been blocked from everywhere so Posting the same picture to wish you, my boy, a very Happy Birthday.”
“Even if I can’t connect with you directly, I connect with you through Telepathy. I am so proud of you, and I know you’re doing great and growing up nicely.Papa always misses you and loves you. He’s always positive, waiting with a smile for the time when we will meet again by the Grace of God. Be naughty but not destructive, be a giver, be humble, compassionate, patient, and strong,” he added.
“Despite not seeing you, I write you messages almost every day, asking about your well-being and daily life, sharing what I’m doing and what’s new in my life. Love you loads Zora, Papa.”
Dhawan is facing challenging times in his personal life, marked by a separation from his wife, Ayesha Mukherjee. Although Dhawan continues to lead the Indian Premier League franchise Punjab Kings and remains active in his professional endeavors, the separation has taken a toll on his personal life. Notably, Dhawan has been unable to meet his son Zoravar in person for the past year, adding a layer of personal struggle to his life off the cricket field.
In October of this year, a Delhi court finalised the divorce proceedings for Shikhar Dhawan, citing “cruelty” as the basis for the dissolution of his marriage with his estranged wife, Aesha Dhawan. The court not only granted Dhawan visitation rights but also mandated that Aesha facilitate their son’s visits to India and Australia. The court order specified provisions for overnight stays with Dhawan and his family, emphasising the importance of maintaining a connection between the cricketer and his son during school holidays.
Meanwhile, netizens showered love and positivity on Zoravar’s birthday and asked Shikhar to stay strong in these challenging times.
“I feel so sad for Shikhar Dhawan , Women are really cruel sometimes,” a user wrote. Another one commented, “The pain he must be going through💔.” “Shikhar Dhawan, Mohammad Shami etc going through bad phases of their life but the way they fought for their country is just remarkable. Salute to both of them. Not easy to perform when your private life is not going smooth,” a third user wrote. “This is so so Heartbreaking 😞💔 Stay strong, Shikhar paaji. You will reunite with zoravar very soon.❤️,” a user commented.
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