Indian batter Murali Vijay has announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket in a career than spanned 11 years and 87 international matches.
Announcing his retirement on Twitter, Vijay thanked the BCCI, his teammates and his fans for supporting him for all those years.
"Today, with immense gratitude & humility, I announce my retirement from all forms of International cricket," Vijay said in the statement posted online.
"My journey from 2002-2018 has been the most wonderful years of my life for it was an honour representing India at the highest level of sport.”
@BCCI @TNCACricket @IPL @ChennaiIPL pic.twitter.com/ri8CCPzzWK
— Murali Vijay (@mvj888) January 30, 2023
Vijay had an up-and-down career in red-ball cricket for India. Since his debut against Australia, he scored 3982 test runs at an average of 38.28 runs. His batting statistics include 12 centuries and 15 half-centuries.
The best of those innings was 167 against Australia in their 2013 Tour of India. His innings contributed to India winning by an inning and 135 runs. During his time at the crease, he put on a 370-run partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara.
In white-ball cricket for India, he made 339 runs in ODI and 169 runs in T20I. Vijay top-scored with 72 in the 50-over format, whilst having a high score of 48 in T20I.
Although Vijay has retired from all forms of international cricket, he stated he will still play across the world if given the opportunity.
"I am excited to announce that I will be exploring new opportunities in the world of cricket & the business side of it, where I will also continue to participate in the sport that I love and challenge myself in new and different environments."
"I believe that this is the next step in my journey as a cricketer and I look forward to this new chapter in my life."
