Former India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan retires from all forms of cricket

Baroda, February 26: India and Baroda all-rounder Yusuf Pathan on Friday (February 25) announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. Incidentally, his former team-mate and Karnataka pacer R Vinay Kumar too had announced his retirement from cricket earlier in the day.

Yusuf, brother of former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, was a member of India's World Cup winning squads in 2007 (T20) and 2011 (50-over World Cup) under MS Dhoni. Yusuf, an all-rounder from Baroda, also has won IPL titles with three different teams - Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Yusuf played 57 ODIs making 810 runs with two hundreds and picked up 33 wickets and in 22 T20Is he amassed 236 runs for India and grabbed 13 wickets. But his last appearance for India came way back in 2012. He also does not have a current IPL contract.

"I still remember the day when I wore the India jersey for the first time. I didn't only wear the jersey that day, but I took upon my family's, coach's, friends the whole country's and my own expectations on my shoulders as well. Since my childhood, my life has revolved only around Cricket. I played at international level, domestic level and in the IPL in my career.

"But today is a bit different. There is no World Cup or IPL final today but it is equally important. The time has come today for me to put a full stop to this innings of my life. I officially announce retirement from all forms of the game. I thank my family, friends, fans, teams, coaches and the whole country wholeheartedly for all the support and love. I am sure you will continue to encourage me in future as well.

"Winning two World Cups for India and lifting Sachin Tendulkar on my shoulders were some of the best moments of my career. I made my international debut under MS Dhoni, IPL debut under Shane Warne, Ranji debut under Jacob Martin and would like to thank them for believing in me. I thank Gautam Gambhir with whom, at KKR, we won the IPL trophy twice. I would also like to thank my brother and backbone Irfan Pathan who was always there for me during the highs and lows of my career. Last but not the least, I would like to thank the BCCI & BCA for giving me the opportunity to play for my country and state.

"Nothing can keep me away from cricket and my passion for the sport will remain the same. I will continue to entertain everyone even in future," Yusuf wrote in his retirement statement on his Twitter handle.