Left-handed batter Saurabh Tiwary on Monday decided to retire from professional cricket after Jharkhand’s final league match of the Ranji Trophy against Rajasthan in Jamshedpur from February 16.
In a career spanning 17 years, Tiwary captained Jharkhand, played three ODIs for India and turned up for four IPL (Indian Premier League) franchises.
Announcing his retirement from all formats of the game following the Ranji Trophy match versus Rajasthan, the 34-year-old Tiwary said it was appropriate time for him to take the decision as he wanted to give space for the youngsters even though he still has cricket left in him.
“I think, if you are unable to make it to the national team or IPL, it is best time to leave space for talented youngsters,” Tiwary said at a press conference at the JSCA office situated at Keenan stadium premises.
Asked about his future plans, Tiwary said, “I have got everything from Jharkhand and politics is the appropriate platform to give back to the state.”
However, he later said that he is not joining politics and he would want to remain associated with cricket.
He also said that Jharkhand has plenty of talent but the youngsters would need adequate facilities to compete with other states.
Tiwary scored 49 runs in the three ODIs that he played for the country in 2010. He amassed 8,030 runs in 189 innings at an average of 47.51, including 22 hundreds and 34 fifties in 115 First-Class matches.
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He also scored 1,494 runs at an average of 28.73 and a strike rate of 120 in 93 IPL matches. In total, he racked up 3,454 T20 runs with 16 fifties at an average of 29.02 and a strike rate of 122.17 in 181 matches.
In the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, Tiwary has played four games for Jharkhand, which is not in contention for a spot in the knockout stages.
Tiwary, whose cricketing career began as an 11-year-old, earned his First-Class debut in the 2006-07 Ranji Trophy season. He was part of the Indian U-19 World Cup winning team, led by former India skipper Virat Kohli, in 2008.
He has also led Jharkhand 88 time across formats, winning 36, losing 33 and drawing 19.
In his List A career, Tiwary scored 4,050 runs in 116 games with 27 fifties and six hundreds at an average of 46.55. He last played in the IPL for Mumbai Indians in 2021.
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