Veteran Indian Bowler Niranjana Nagarajan Announces Retirement
On March 10th, 2023, veteran Indian fast bowler Niranjana Nagarajan announced her retirement from all forms of cricket. The 35-year-old made the decision public through a heartfelt social media post, reflecting on her remarkable 24-year journey at the professional level.
Nagarajan, who played two Tests, 22 ODIs, and 14 T20Is for the Indian women’s national team between 2008 and 2016, expressed deep gratitude for the opportunities cricket has provided her. “Playing cricket at a professional level has been the best thing that could have happened to me for everything in life commenced with it,” she wrote. “Playing this game gave me a vision, ambition and reason to look forward in life.”
The right-arm fast bowler made a memorable debut against England, featuring in her first international matches across all three formats against the same opposition. In her Test debut at Wormsley in 2014, Nagarajan made an immediate impact, running through England’s top order and finishing with four crucial wickets in the first innings. She then displayed her batting prowess, scoring a gritty 27 to help India take the lead.
“Playing cricket at a professional level has been the best thing that could have happened to me for everything in life commenced with it.”
Despite her impressive debut, Nagarajan was unable to maintain her wicket-taking form in subsequent Test outings, going wicketless in 25 further overs. However, she found more success in the limited-overs formats, claiming 24 wickets in 22 ODIs and 9 wickets in 14 T20Is.
Nagarajan’s last appearance for India came in a T20I against Sri Lanka in Ranchi in 2016. On the domestic front, she represented the Railways and Tamil Nadu teams with distinction.
In her retirement announcement, Nagarajan expressed her deep gratitude for the sport, stating, “I will be carrying the lovely warm memories it gave me along the way through my life.” Her contributions to Indian cricket, particularly her memorable debut Test performance, will be fondly remembered by fans and teammates alike.
🔗 Source