The flamboyant Virender Sehwag, one of the world’s most destructive batsmen to have played the game, on Tuesday announced his retirement from international cricket and the Indian Premier League, bringing an end to an illustrious career spanning 14 years.
Sehwag had already hinted about his imminent retirement at a function in Dubai on Monday and chose his 37th birthday on Tuesday to put an end to his amazing career and said he was grateful to have done things his way.
“I have always done what I felt was right and not what conformists thought to be right. God has been kind and I have done what I wanted to do – on the field and in my life. And I had decided some time back that I will retire on my 37th birthday. So on Tuesday, while I spend my day with my family, I hereby announce my retirement from all forms of International Cricket and from the Indian Premier League,” Sehwag said in a statement.
“Cricket has been my life and continues to be so. Playing for India was a memorable journey and I tried to make it more memorable for my team mates and the Indian cricket fans. I believe that I was reasonably successful in doing so.
“For that, I wish to thank all my team mates over the years - some of the greatest players of the game. I would like to thank all my captains who believed in me and backed me to the hilt. I also thank our greatest partner, the Indian cricket fan, for all the love, support and memories,” he added.
In a glorious international career spanning 14 years, Sehwag played 104 Tests scoring 8586 runs at an impressive average of 49.34, hitting 23 centuries and 32 half-centuries.
He is the only triple centurion in Tests for India having scored a career-best knock of 319 against Pakistan at Multan, which also is an Indian record. He is also one of those rare batsmen to have scored two triple tons with his next one (309) coming against South Africa.
In 251 ODIs, he accumulated 8273 runs at an average of 35.05 and scored 15 hundreds apart from hitting 38 fifties. In 19 Twenty20 Internationals, he managed 394 runs with two half -centuries. The move also comes barely a few days after one of his contemporaries Zaheer Khan decided to call time on his career.