Indian cricketers who announced retirement in October in the last decade

Ashish Nehra surprised the fans with sudden retirement announcement from International cricket after the 1st T20I against New Zealand at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Though Nehra, in recent a chat show with Gaurav Kapoor said that he plans to play his last match when he is 40, his retirement comes 2 years prior to what he aimed for.

There has been speculation that Nehra took the decision because he was not picked in the two matches against Australia but there is also talk about the fact that he took the decision before that. Interestingly, he is not the only veteran to have announced his retirement in the month of October. Here are some legendary Indian players who announced their retirement from cricket in the month of October in last 10 years:

Sachin Tendulkar

Tendulkar announced his retirement from ODIs in December 2012 and retired from T20 cricket in October 2013 and subsequently retired from all forms of cricket on 16 November 2013 after playing his 200th Test match, against the West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Revealing what triggered his decision to retire, he cited the example of his role-model Sunil Gavaskar who had made up his mind to bid adieu from the game when he found himself checking the clock to determine how much time was left between lunch and tea intervals during a Test match.

Virender Sehwag

In remembrance of his statement, while announcing retirement, he said, “God has been kind and I have done what I wanted to do – on the field and in my life and I had decided sometime back that I will retire on my 37th birthday. So, while I spend the day with my family, I hereby announce my retirement from all forms of international cricket and the Indian Premier League.”

It was on October 19, 2015, that the swashbuckling opener conveyed his decision. The fact that he didn’t get a farewell game was one that haunted fans, and perhaps himself, too.

Sourav Ganguly

On October 29, 2008, he hinted that the India-Australia series would be his last. In October 2012, he announced that he decided not to play in next year’s IPL and to retire from the game.

Before the series against Australia, he said in a press conference, “Just one last thing lads, before I leave, I just want to say that this is going to be my last series. I’ve decided to quit. I told my team-mates before coming here. These four Test matches are going to be my last and hopefully we’ll go on a winning note.”

Anil Kumble

Though the leggie officially retired on November 2, 2008, he had hinted so in October itself. He announced his retirement from cricket, because of a finger injury he sustained during the Test match. The news was made public moments after the tea break on the final day; Kumble then bowled four overs before the match was called off as a draw.

He made the formal announcement at the post-match press conference, one last time as an India player and captain. The captaincy was then handed over to Mahendra Singh Dhoni who was already leading Team India in the shorter formats.

Zaheer Khan

Now a commentator and captain of Delhi Daredevils, in the IPL, had announced his retirement from international and first-class cricket on 15 October 2015 with a tweet saying “I bid adieu to my career in international cricket. I look forward to signing off with IPL 9.”

While his final Test was against New Zealand in Wellington early 2014, his last ODI was more than three years before that, against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. He ended his international career with 92 Tests, 200 ODIs and 17 T20Is to his name with IPL 9.

Ajit Agarkar

Ajit Agarkar announced his retirement from all competitive cricket on October 16, 2013. He had led Mumbai to the title in the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy season. Agarkar’s international career spanned from 1998 to 2007, during which he featured in 26 Tests, 191 ODIs and four T20Is. He was about to be named the captain for the forthcoming season but because of the sudden announcement, Zaheer Khan was bestowed with the responsibility.

While retiring, he said, “I don’t have a chance to play for India [again], so I thought it was the right time. Moreover, it’s not a young [Mumbai] team anymore. It’s a well-balanced unit and I feel it was time to let the younger lot carry the mantle.”

Ashish Nehra

He announced his retirement today, i.e. October 11, 2017, after living through an injury-plagued career which spanned 18 years and the frequent injuries forced him to retire from Test cricket 10 years ago. He will also not feature in the IPL next season.

Apparently, Nehra had a word with the captain and the team management on Wednesday afternoon. “He (Nehra) called the entire squad and said he is calling it quits from international cricket. That caught the entire team by surprise but he requested if he could play his last game at his home ground in Delhi.”