India batsman Gautam Gambhir calls time on playing career

Former India batsman and two-time World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir has announced his retirement from cricket. The 37-year-old left-hander played 58 Tests, 147 ODIs and 37 T20s with the Men in Blue, winning the 2007 World T20 and the 2011 World Cup, on which he was his country’s top scorer in the final against Sri Lanka. Gambhir scored over 10,000 international runs in the three formats since making his ODI debut with India in 2003. He has not represented his country since 2016.

"After more than 15 years of cricket for my country I want to retire from playing this beautiful game," the batsman said in a video on social media. "Despite all the aches and pains; fears and failures I won't mind a repeat of this in my next life too. But obviously with a few more wins for India, a few more hundreds and in the next life may be a few five-wicket hauls as well."

Final match

His final match will be on his home ground for Delhi Daredevils against Andhra in the Ranji Trophy, starting on Thursday. "Someone up there was writing my script but now it looks like he has run out of ink," he said.

He also won the Indian Premier League twice: in 2012 and in 2014, both with the Kolkata Knight Riders.

@GautamGambhir retires😐 pic.twitter.com/uVddfBntfy — So Called Cinema (@socalledcinemaa) 4 December 2018