Dravid makes way for young players
Source: Agencies |
March 10, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
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INDIA batting great and former skipper Rahul Dravid announced his retirement from international cricket yesterday, saying it was the right time to "move on" and make way for the next generation of players.
The 39-year-old second highest run scorer in test history announced his decision at a news conference in Bangalore with Indian cricket board president N. Srinivasan and former India leg spinner Anil Kumble also in attendance.
Dravid has scored 13,288 runs in 164 tests, including 36 hundreds, and became the first of India's senior batsmen to retire from the longer format after the team slumped to eight consecutive test defeats away from home.
"I would like to announce my retirement from international and domestic first-class cricket," a sombre-looking Dravid read from a prepared statement, confirming what many observers had expected when the news conference was arranged on Thursday.
"It has been 16 years since I played my first test for India. I feel its time for me to move on. I have had a wonderful time but now its time for a new generation of young players to make their own history and to take the Indian cricket team even further."
The father of two said he would now look forward to spending more time with his family. "Being away from my family became harder and harder through the years and I look forward now to spending time at home and doing the simple things, like just taking my sons (Samit and Anvay) to school," he said.
Critics and disgruntled fans had called for Dravid and Vangipurappu Laxman (37) to make way for new blood after India was whitewashed 0-4 in its last two away series in England and Australia.
The 39-year-old second highest run scorer in test history announced his decision at a news conference in Bangalore with Indian cricket board president N. Srinivasan and former India leg spinner Anil Kumble also in attendance.
Dravid has scored 13,288 runs in 164 tests, including 36 hundreds, and became the first of India's senior batsmen to retire from the longer format after the team slumped to eight consecutive test defeats away from home.
"I would like to announce my retirement from international and domestic first-class cricket," a sombre-looking Dravid read from a prepared statement, confirming what many observers had expected when the news conference was arranged on Thursday.
"It has been 16 years since I played my first test for India. I feel its time for me to move on. I have had a wonderful time but now its time for a new generation of young players to make their own history and to take the Indian cricket team even further."
The father of two said he would now look forward to spending more time with his family. "Being away from my family became harder and harder through the years and I look forward now to spending time at home and doing the simple things, like just taking my sons (Samit and Anvay) to school," he said.
Critics and disgruntled fans had called for Dravid and Vangipurappu Laxman (37) to make way for new blood after India was whitewashed 0-4 in its last two away series in England and Australia.
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