A shocking news is coming out from the corridors of Indian cricket. Team India’s wicketkeeper-batsman KS Bharat has announced his retirement from all formats of international cricket at the age of just 31.
The dynamic player from Andhra Pradesh has brought to an end his brief but checkered international career by sharing an emotional message on social media.
The journey started from Nagpur, the innings ended in Visakhapatnam. Bharat made his Test debut against Australia in Nagpur during the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the year 2023. See the game of destiny that he also played his last international match in February 2024 against England at his home ground Visakhapatnam. Bharat said in his statement that representing the country has been the greatest honor of his life and the journey demanded a lot of patience and strength from him.
Pain spilled over for Kohli and Rohit In his retirement message, Bharat expressed special gratitude to two legends of Indian cricket.
- Virat Kohli: Bharat remembered Virat and said that it was he who gave him the opportunity to debut in IPL from RCB. Even today, fans have not forgotten that IPL match in which Bharat gave the team a memorable victory by hitting a six on the last ball.
- Rohit Sharma: Praising captain Rohit, Bharat said that under his leadership his dream of wearing the Test cap came true. He thanked Rohit for his unwavering support and leadership.
Dravid’s guidance and strength of domestic cricket Bharat described former head coach Rahul Dravid as his best mentor, who made his journey from ‘India A’ to the senior team easy. Although Bharat’s international career was short, he scored a lot of runs for Andhra Pradesh in domestic cricket. After the injury of Rishabh Pant, he was given the responsibility of chief wicketkeeper in Team India.
How was KS Bharat’s record?
- Total test matches: 7
- Total innings: 12
- Total runs: 221
- Average: 20.09
- Highest score: 44
- Victims behind the wicket: 19 (18 catches, 1 stumping)
What are the future plans? Even though Bharat has said goodbye to the blue and white jersey, he will not be away from the cricket field. He has clarified that he will continue to play in domestic cricket and IPL. Along with this, he wants to contribute back to the game by coaching and mentoring the next generation of young players. He ended his message with very emotional words. ‘I love India and I love cricket. Thank you for everything.