Gautam Gambhir announces retirement from all forms of the game

The man who played major knocks in the finals of two World Cups, in 2007 and 2011, Gautam Gambhir has decided to call it day after his next Ranji game against Andhra. He posted an emotional video on his Facebook page to let his fans and followers know about his decision. This comes as a shocking news for everyone as the Delhi cricketer was keen on playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for his home franchise.

Gambhir famously returned to Delhi in the cash-rich league earlier this year but failed to live up to the expectations and stood down from the captaincy mid-season after which he was dropped from the team as well. To make things worse, Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) decided to move on from him releasing him ahead of the auction and many were eagerly waiting for the event to know who picks him in the team.

However, the 37-year-old feels that the time is up now for him after serving his country for so long and will be walking out for the last time on the ground in his next Ranji encounter.

Legendary career

Gautam Gambhir donned India jersey for the first time in 2003 against Bangladesh in an ODI and since then served his country consistently. He went on to play 147 matches in the format and went on to amass 5238 runs at an average of 39.68 scoring 11 centuries and 34 half-centuries. He played one of his best knocks of 97 runs in the final of the 2011 World Cup.

Even in the inaugural World T20 in 2007, the flamboyant left-hander scored 75 runs in the final against Pakistan. As far as his 37-game career in the format, he scored 932 runs at a strike-rate of 119.03. He was at his best in the Test format as well and deservedly played his last game for India in the longest format itself. In 58 Tests, he scored 4154 runs at an average of close to 42 with the highest score being 206.

One would hope that the man who worked so hard for his country and IPL team over the years, bows out on a high by scoring a scintillating century.

Here’s the video:

Get the latest Cricket News and updates, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.