R

Retirement

09 March, 2012

I would like to announce my retirement from international and domestic first-class cricket. It has been 16 years since I first played a Test match for India, and I feel it's time for me to move on. Once I was like every other boy in India, with a dream of playing for my country. Yet I could never have imagined a journey so long and so fulfilling. I have had a wonderful time, but now it is time for a new generation of young players to make their own history and take the Indian cricket team even further.

No dream is ever chased alone. As I look back, as one does at such a time, I have many people to thank for supporting me, teaching me and believing in me.

My junior coaches in Bangalore and at various junior national camps inculcated in me a powerful love of the game which has always stayed with me.

My coaches at the international level have added to my craft and helped shape my personality. They pushed me and challenged me to keep getting better. The physios and trainers worked hard to keep me fit, not an easy job and allowed me to play late into my 30s.

The selectors who rarely receive any credit in India had, on occasions, more confidence in me than I had in myself and I am grateful for that. The various captains I played under offered me guidance and inspired me.

The media has been kind to me, and I have respect for their craft.

The KSCA and BCCI have provided me a platform and the facilities to play the game.

But most of all, I have to thank the teams I played with. I know what I am going to miss the most is being part of a unit. The joy of bonding together and striving to achieve a goal is what made cricket special for me. I was lucky in my early years to play for a Karnataka team which was trying to forge itself into a strong side and they were years of fun and learning.

In the Indian team, I was fortunate to be part of a wonderful era when India played some of its finest cricket at home and abroad. Many of my teammates have become legends, not just in India but in the wider cricketing world. I admired them, learnt from them and I leave the game with wonderful memories and strong friendships. It is a great gift to have.

A career in sport is almost impossible to manage without the support, guidance, and reassurance of family and friends. During tough times -- and there have been many -- they are the ones we go to. I found strength and encouragement from my parents (Sharad and Pushpa ) and brother (Vijay) and they created around me a positive environment which was essential to my success.

My wife, Vijeeta, has been a remarkable partner in my journey. She has made sacrifices in her own career and has almost been a single parent bringing up our children alone as I travelled abroad to play. Whenever challenges appeared, she was always there, as sounding board, as ally and as guide. Being away from my family became harder and harder through the years and I look forward now to spending time at home and doing the simple things, like just taking my sons (Samit and Anvay) to school.

Finally, I would like to thank the Indian cricket fan, both here and across the world. The game is lucky to have you and I have been lucky to play before you. To represent India, and thus to represent you, has been a privilege and one which I have always taken seriously. My approach to cricket has been reasonably simple: it was about giving everything to the team, it was about playing with dignity, and it was about upholding the spirit of the game. I hope I have done some of that.

"I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying.

I leave with sadness but also with pride."

Reactions to Indian batting great Rahul Dravid's retirement from test and domestic first-class cricket:-

"There was and is only one Rahul Dravid. There can be no other. I will miss Rahul in the dressing room and out in the middle. Our many century partnerships are testimony to the hours we spent together in the middle.'' - Sachin Tendulkar

"We've always had some good battles. He is a very quiet and kind man. I had the good fortune of playing with him at the IPL and he was a man that worked hard on his game. He set high standards for himself and for India. What he has achieved in the game is incredible. He had one of the best techniques in the game and was always a prize wicket to get. The game will be a little poorer without him but I wish him well in his retirement." - Jacques Kallis

"He was a perfectionist. His determination, technique and commitment towards the game was something special. It's really tough to become another Rahul Dravid. It will not happen overnight. It has taken him long to get here; one has to go through a lot of hardships and commitment." - Sourav Ganguly

"Jam it was a pleasure & amp; privilege to have playd with u and ur presence in the dressing room always added to our confidence. Will miss u lots" - Virender Sehwag

"A constant friend and colleague I depended on for advice. An inspiration and a role model. Among Karnataka's finest cricketing sons." - Anil Kumble

"It will be a big hole to fill." - Sunil Gavaskar

"Dravid is not only a great cricketer but also an ambassador of the game, a role model and a gentleman. Runs apart, he is a cricketer who should be emulated by the youngsters." - Arun Lal

"Wall for team but a shoulder for team mates. Impregnable for opposition, motivation fr us. That's Rahul bhai. Got my ODI & Test cap frm him" - Suresh Raina

"I think it is the beginning of the end of the era.'' - Ajit Wadekar

"Congrats on a fantastic, superb international career! The great legend Rahul Dravid!! The wall will be missed.'' - Chris Gayle

"Knew the man behind the bat. Not often do you find a person as exceptional as his achievements.'' - Sanjay Manjrekar

"Rahul Dravid retires.. The worlds most respected cricketer over the last 20 yrs.. LEGEND.''-kevin pietersen

"I have been very lucky to have a really good association with Rahul. He's probably the nicest guy - no he is the nicest guy - that I've met in cricket. He's a phenomenal man. He loves the game with so much passsion, it's in his blood and in his heart. He is certainly going to be sorely missed by the Indian public and the cricket loving public as well. I suppose I'm lucky that he's my captain for Rajasthan, so I'll continue to talk cricket [with him] as much as I possibly can, because I do love talking to him. He's got a lot of knowledge to be able to share." - Shane Watson

"Congratulations Rahul Dravid. Champion on and off the field, showed us all that sky is the limit with hard work, patience and discipline..." - Mahesh Bhupathi

"The end of an era. R Dravid personified class, propriety & dependability. The wall stands tall today too as he retires. India will miss him. - Mandira Bedi

"As expected, Rahul Dravid has retired . A man of great stature, dignity and sportsmanship" - David Lloyd

Rahul Dravid retires.. The worlds most respected cricketer over the last 20 yrs.. LEGEND - Michael Vaughan

Congrats to Rahul Dravid on an amazing career! You will be missed. Fantastic person and Cricketer. - AB de Villiers