Indian batter VR Vanitha has announced retirement from International Cricket at an age of 31 years. The last time she represented India was way back in November 2016.
Vanitha represented Karnataka and Bengal in the domestic circuit and thanked both associations along with her family and friends, Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj for all the support and encouragement. She’s now venturing into “grooming young talents”, she said in her post.
“19 years ago, when I started playing cricket, I was just a little girl who loved sport. Even to this day, my love for cricket remains the same. What’s changing is direction. My heart says continue playing, my body says stop and I’ve decided to listen to the latter. Time is ripe to hang my boots. I hereby announce my retirement from all forms of cricket,” she wrote in her retirement statement on social media.
“It’s been a journey of struggles, joy, heartbreak, learning, and personal milestones. While there are a few regrets, I’m grateful for the opportunities I got, especially to represent India. Along the way, there have been many people I want to thank, each and everyone who has supported me through these years.. Cricket has given me everything, friendships, joys, identity, and memories that will cherish forever. The next chapter of my life I would like to dedicate to grooming young talents in Cricket. This is not the end but a beginning of a new challenge.”
Her International Stats
She has represented India in 6 ODIs and 16 T20Is. In ODIs, she has scored 85 runs at an average of 17 at a strike rate of 68. In T20Is she has scored 216 runs at an average of around 14 at a strike rate of 109.1
VR Vanitha’s recent form
In the 2021-22 domestic season for Bengal, she was the standout performer for them. Her 225 runs included knocks of 61 against Andhra and a 71-ball 107 against Hyderabad, and among batters to score at least 150 runs in the tournament, her strike rate of 109.75 was the second-best.
And this lovely innings comes to an END ! pic.twitter.com/ZJw9ieXHSO
— Vanitha VR || ವನಿತಾ.ವಿ.ಆರ್ (@ImVanithaVR) February 21, 2022
