New Delhi: India pacer and Karnataka captain R Vinay Kumar has announced retirement from all forms of cricket on Friday (February 26). The pacer also thanked everybody for the love and support that was showered on him throughout his career.
“Thankyou all for your love and support throughout my career. Today I hang up my boots,” he wrote on Twitter.
Thankyou all for your love and support throughout my career. Today I hang up my boots. 🙏🙏❤️ #ProudIndian pic.twitter.com/ht0THqWTdP
— Vinay Kumar R (@Vinay_Kumar_R) February 26, 2021
“Today “Davangere Express” after running for 25 years and passing so many stations of cricketing life, has finally arrived to a station called “retirement”. With a lot of mixed emotions, I Vinay Kumar R hereby announce my retirement from international and first-class cricket. It is not an easy decision to make, however, there comes a time in every sportsperson’s life where one has to call it a day,” Kumar said in an official statement on Twitter.
“It is not an easy decision to make, however, there comes a time in every sportsperson’s life where one has to call it a day. I have been fortunate enough to represent my country at the highest level and give it all I had to this beautiful game. My journey has been filled with many moments that I will cherish lifelong. I came to Bangalore from Davangere to pursue my dreams. I am very grateful to Karnataka State Cricket Association for giving me the opportunity to represent the state team. From here I went on to play for India and represented the nation in all the formats of the game,” he added.
The veteran pacer also said that he has been lucky enough to play alongside the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli in his career. “My cricketing experience has been enriched by playing under the great minds of Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni, Virendra Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma to name the few. Also, I was blessed to have Sachin Tendulkar as a mentor in Mumbai Indians.”
“Nevertheless, though this station of “Retirement” has arrived for me bringing back all fond memories of my career. However “Davangere Express” has just stopped for a while and not derailed. It will keep running and my journey will continue to give it back to this wonderful game of cricket. And miles to go before I sleep and miles to go before I sleep,” Vinay’s statement further read.
Vinay Kumar represented India in all three formats of the game. In his career, he played 1 Test, 31 ODIs and 9 T20Is and took 49 wickets across all formats of the game. The 37-year-old made his Ranji Trophy debut for Karnataka in the 2004-05 season and quickly rose through the ranks to become their lead seamer.
He also played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he represented Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore. Recently, he has dabbled into regional cricket commentary during high-profile tournaments including the 2019 ODI World Cup and IPL 2020.
