Lakshmipathy Balaji has brought an end to his first-class career that began almost 16 years ago.
The 34-year-old played eight Tests for India, picking up 27 wickets at an average of 37.18.
Balaji has said that he will continue playing in T20 leagues like the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) even after his first-class retirement.
Playing for the Tuti Patriots, Balaji has picked up seven wickets in six matches in the ongoing TNPL, which included an incredible spell against the Thiruvallur Veerans, where he finished with figures of 5/18 from his four overs.
Speaking about his retirement to Indian daily The Hindu, Balaji said: “I have to move on, (I) have a young family now. I have given it all during my 16 years as a first-class cricketer. I will be playing in the shorter forms of the game in competitions such as the TNPL and IPL. I want to thank the TNCA and all those cricketers and coaches who guided me.”
The Chennai-born cricketer picked up 330 wickets from the 106 first-class matches he played in, at an average of 26.10. He was part of the Indian team that registered a historical Test series win in Pakistan in 2004.
Apart from the longest format of the game, Balaji had also represented India in ODI and T20 cricket. He featured in eight ODIs and five T20Is for the Men in Blue, with his last international appearance coming during the World T20 in 2012.
