New Delhi, Sep 4: Veteran India leg-spinner Amit Mishra has announced his retirement from professional cricket, thus bringing the curtains down on a remarkable career spanning over 25 years.

Mishra represented India in 22 Tests, 36 ODIs and 10 T20Is - picking 76, 64 and 16 scalps respectively via a reputation of using his sharp variations and control. In a statement on Thursday, Mishra said his decision to retire from professional cricket was influenced by recurring injuries and the belief of giving next generation of cricketers ample opportunities to shine on the big stage.

“These 25 years of my life in cricket have been nothing short of memorable. I am deeply grateful to the BCCI, the administration, Haryana cricket association, the support staff, my colleagues, and to my family members who were with me all this while.”

“I would like to thank the fans whose love and support whenever and wherever I played made the journey memorable. Cricket has given me countless memories and invaluable learnings, and each moment on the ground has been a memory I’ll treasure for life,” he said.

Mishra made his international debut in 2003 in an ODI tri-series in Bangladesh, but had to wait until 2008 to make his Test debut against Australia in Mohali, where he joined an illustrious list of bowlers to pick a five-wicket haul on debut.

In 2013, he also equalled Javagal Srinath's world record for the most wickets in a bilateral ODI series by taking 18 wickets in the five-game series in Zimbabwe. He also played in the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, picking 10 wickets at an average of 14.70 and economy rate of 6.68, as India finished runners-up to Sri Lanka.

After his last game for India came in 2017, Mishra continued to play domestic cricket and IPL. His final competitive cricket game was Lucknow Super Giants’ clash against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024, where he picked figures of 1-20.

Apart from having a stellar domestic cricket career for Haryana, Mishra ends up as the seventh leading wicket-taker in the IPL with 174 scalps in 162 games at an average of 23.82 and economy rate of 7.37. He also holds the record for being the only bowler to pick three hat-tricks in IPL’s history.

Incidentally, Mishra’s IPL hat-tricks came for three different teams: Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in 2008, for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2011, and for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013.

Looking ahead, Mishra expressed he intends to stay involved in the game through coaching, commentary and mentoring young cricketers, as well as regularly interact with fans through social media platforms and YouTube.

(IANS)

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