TNI Bureau: Indian Cricketer VVS Laxman announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect, ending his glorious career of 16 years.
The 37-year-old Laxman is one of the finest batsmen in contemporary cricket. He felt that it was the right time to bid adieu to the game that he played with pride for the country.
“I would like to announce my retirement from international cricket with immediate effect. I think it’s right time to move on”, an emotional Laxman told a press conference today in his home town Hyderabad.
“It was a tough decision to take, I have always listened to my inner conscience. The inner voice is a divine voice, I have always done that right through my career. There was a lot of debate in the last four days. I felt this is the right time to move on”, he said.
Laxman has gained popularity for his style and flair. He played 134 Tests scoring 8,781 runs at an average of 45.97. He scored 17 hundreds and 56 half centuries in Tests.
Even though, he was not a regular in ODI team, played 86 matches scoring 2338 runs at an average of 30.76. His beggest regret was is that he could never be a part of India’s World Cup campaigns. In IPL, he played for Deccan Chargers and Kochi Tuskers Kerala.
The right-hand batsman had earned the nickname of ‘Very Very Special’ after he scored 281 runs against Australia in 2001 test match when India won by 171 runs. He scored as many as six centuries against the Australians that made him special forever.