Indian wicketkeeper-batter Karuna Jain announces retirement from all formats

Former India cricketer Karuna Jain announced her retirement from all forms of international cricket on Sunday, July 24. Jain, who made an immediate impression on the team during her international debut in Lucknow in 2004 by notching up a half-century, became a crucial member of the Indian team before new players emerged.

Jain scored an unbeaten 68* off 150 balls on debut against West Indies to make a name in the team, which soon led to her Test call-up. She scored an amazing 40 and 35 in her first Test against England and went on to score her maiden century (103 runs) in the ODI games against the same opponents.

Her consistent run-scoring abilities and her wicketkeeping skills had a significant impact on the Indian side, which made her a permanent face in the setup. She took to Instagram to make the announcement of her retirement and penned down a heartfelt note thanking everyone who supported her throughout her journey.

“I dreamt it, wished for it, worked for it and achieved it. It’s time to look back with admiration and look forward with anticipation #Newroles#Newbeginnings,” read her caption.

Jain still holds the record for the third-highest number of dismissals as a wicketkeeper for India in ODIs, totaling 58. She spent the majority of her domestic career playing for Karnataka, but she also played for Air India, Nagaland in 2018–19, and Puducherry towards the end of her career.

She served as a backup wicketkeeper in India’s 2005 Women’s World Cup squad where the team finished as the runners up. She was also a part of the Women’s World Cup and Women’s T20 World Cup in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

Jain had the privilege of leading the India U21 team to a victory over Pakistan in Pakistan. However, one poor performance against England became the reason behind her downfall. She was developing as a player but ever since her poor run against the English team, she became an irregular face on the side.

She did not feature in a single international match between 2008 and 2013 and was dropped from the main squad. But her comeback in 2013 meant more opportunities in the international arena. Unfortunately, that did not last long and she did not make an appearance after 2014. In her 44-game ODI career, Jain amassed 987 runs, including a century and nine half-centuries.