Saurabh Tiwary reveals unfilled dream post retirement from cricket after 18 years: 'You won't get everything'

Add as a preferred source on Google

Saurabh Tiwary drew curtains on his 18-year-old professional cricket career with Jharkhand's 89-run win over Rajasthan at the Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur. The 34-year-old led Jharkhand in his final outing, scoring 42 and 4 in the two innings.

Apart from being a key figure in Jharkhand domestic team, the 34-year-old Jamshedpur-born cricketer played three ODI matches for India in 2010. The left-hand batter played a total of 116 first-class matches and scored 8076 runs at an average of 47.22.

His 116-match List A career saw him score 4050 runs at an average of 46.55 and a strike rate of 83.41. He smashed 22 first-class hundred, and six List A hundred.

Saurabh Tiwary's T20 career was equally impressive. Apart from representing Jharkhand, he also played for four IPL franchises. Tiwary scored 3454 runs in 181 T20 games to score 3454 runs at an average of 29.02 and a strike rate of 122.17. He last played an IPL match in 2021 for Mumbai Indians.

Despite achieving so much in his career, the former India star had to sign off without completing his dream of winning the Ranji Trophy with Jharkhand.

"Cricket has taught me two things. One is that you have to fight for everything, and the second is that you need to understand you won't get everything in life. Some things will remain out of reach. I had a dream that we will win the Ranji Trophy but I couldn't achieve it. That takes us back to the thing about fighting for everything. I will now try to play my part in helping the team win the Ranji Trophy, but from the outside. And I will do whatever I can to make it happen," Tiwary said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

Notably, Tiwary was the captain when the only time Jharkhand won a domestic tournament - the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2010-11.

Emotions were clearly visible on Tiwary's face when he walked out of the dressing room to bat for Jharkhand for one final time.. Moments after the match concluded, tears came out from his eyes, he bent down to kiss the turf with his coach Kajal Das in attendance to witness the final match of Jharkahnd's top batters.

"Saying farewell to your favourite thing isn't easy, my friend. When I left the dressing room and was entering the ground, it was very emotional. My whole journey, from the time I was a kid to now, flashed before my eyes. I started my career here [at Keenan Stadium] and am finishing here too. My favourite people, including my coach [Kajal Das] had come to be part of the occasion. Sometimes, it's difficult to express the feeling," Tiwary said.

Das, who has also coached Jharkhand, recalled Tiwary's early cricketing days which gave insight into the personality of one of Jharkhand's most famous cricketers. "He must have been 15 or 16, and a ball hit his head during training. He needed some stitches. He went to the hospital and came right back to me. I told him to pad up and go bat in the nets [and he did so] - I wanted to see if he was scared and wanted to test him. I have never had a student as dedicated as Saurabh. His keenness to be at the ground and his hunger for runs is unmatched," Das said.