On Thursday, August 29, 31-year-old left-handed Indian national cricket team player Barinder Sran announced his retirement from all forms of cricket via Instagram.
Barinder Sran was a talented left-arm spin bowler who left boxing to take up cricket. He was not among the fastest bowlers, but the legendary Yuvraj Singh saw something special in him and once claimed that Sran reminded him of a young Zaheer Khan.
Noting Sran’s talent, the BCCI selectors picked him in the ODI squad for the tour of Australia in 2016 despite the pacer having the experience of just 8 List A matches.
He made his ODI debut on January 12 under the captaincy of MS Dhoni and shined with a haul of 3 wickets. In total, he featured in 6 ODIs for India and picked up 7 wickets at an average of 38.42 and an economy of 5.34.
Furthermore, Barinder Sran made his T20I debut on 20 June 2016 against Zimbabwe in Harare and took sensational bowling figures of 4/10. He played only one more T20I match for India in which he took 2 wickets.
His last ODI appearance for India was on 15 June 2016, while his last T20I match was on 22 June 2016. After that, he was not considered for selection and never donned the India jersey again.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, he took to Instagram to announce his retirement from cricket and recall his journey. He stated:
“As I officially hang up my cricket boots, I look back on my journey with a heart full of gratitude. Since I quit boxing in 2009, cricket has gifted me with countless amazing experiences. Fast bowling soon became my lucky charm and opened doors for me to represent prestigious IPL franchises, ultimately culminating in the ultimate honour of representing India in 2016.
Although my international career was short, the memories I created will remain forever in my memory – Barinder Sran
Sran further wrote that although his international career was not very long, the memories he created during it will last forever. He explained:
“Although my international career was short, the memories I created will remain in my memory forever. I am eternally grateful to the Almighty for providing me with the right coaches and management, who have supported me throughout my journey.
“As I embark on this new chapter, I feel immense gratitude for the opportunities cricket has given me. Lastly, as the saying goes, ‘Just like the sky, dreams have no limits’, so keep dreaming.”
Barinder Sran also played for Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the Indian Premier League. He was also the net bowler for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League.
In total, he took 18 wickets in 24 IPL matches at an average of 42.05, an economy of 9.40 and a strike rate of 26.8.
He was last seen playing a competitive cricket match in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Punjab against Madhya Pradesh on 28 February 2021. In that game, he scored 24 runs and took one wicket for 91 runs.
