Saurabh Tiwary announces retirement from all forms of cricket; says better to vacate spot for a youngster

Saurabh Tiwary, a former Indian cricketer, on Monday announced his retirement from all formats of cricket. His final professional match will be Jharkhand's last league game of the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy against Rajasthan, set to commence on February 16 in Jamshedpur.

"It's a little tough to bid farewell to this journey that I had started before my schooling. But I'm also sure that this is the right time for this. I feel that if you're not in the national team and IPL, it's better to vacate a spot in the state side for a youngster. Youngsters are getting a lot of chances in our Test team so I'm making this decision,” ESPNcricinfo quoted the 34-year-old as saying.

"It's not like I've decided this only on the basis of my performances. You can see my record in Ranji and in the last domestic season. It's always asked what I'm going to do next and for now I only know that cricket is the only thing I know so I'm going to be connected to the game. I got an offer from politics too but I haven't thought about that," he added.

Saurabh Tiwary, the left-handed batsman, debuted for Jharkhand in 2006 and has since participated in 115 first-class matches, 116 List A games, and 181 T20s, accumulating 8030, 4050, and 3454 runs respectively. With six centuries and 22 half-centuries in List A cricket, his red-ball statistics are particularly noteworthy.

Tiwary will retire as Jharkhand's highest run-scorer in first-class cricket, boasting 22 centuries and 34 half-centuries with an impressive average of 47.51. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, he has amassed 158 runs in five innings, including a notable 114 against Manipur.

Additionally, Tiwary played three ODIs for India in 2010, scoring 49 runs across two innings without being dismissed. He was a pivotal member of the victorious India Under-19 team led by Virat Kohli during the 2008 World Cup and contributed to Jharkhand's Vijay Hazare Trophy triumph in 2011.

In the IPL, Tiwary represented four franchises—Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils), and Rising Pune Supergiant. Across 74 innings, he accumulated 1494 runs at an average of 28.73 with a strike rate of 120.1. His last IPL appearance was in 2021.

• Saurabh Tiwary
• Cricket
• Jharkhand
• Ranji Trophy