Rajasthan wicketkeeper Dishant Yagnik announced retirement during their Ranji Trophy fixture against Jharkhand in Jaipur on Monday. He had made 34 runs in Rajasthan’s mammoth first innings effort of 423 all out.
Thus, Yagnik’s brief career of only 29 First Class matches, 25 List A games and 22 T20’s comes to an end. He had made his First Class debut in the 2002-2003 domestic season and has scored only 1307 runs at an average of 27 since then.
Elaborating on his decision to call it a day on his career, Yagnik said, “I had to draw the line somewhere, so it is necessary to stop. There is no motivation for me to play. At 34, you can’t drag yourself to the ground every day and play. So, it is important that I make way for juniors.”
He added, “The thought of calling it quits crossed my mind after the game against Jammu and Kashmir. I have told the selectors and most likely, the ongoing match will be my last.”
He also was a part of the Rajasthan Royals squad in the IPL from 2011-2015 but didn’t get many matches and had to warm the benches for a good amount of time. Calling his stint with the Royals’ “amazing”, the wicketkeeper batsman said, “The stint with Royals was amazing. At this age, you have to stop somewhere. You just can’t go on and on. What’s there to achieve now?”
Yagnik also went on to say that he would now contact the legendary Rahul Dravid who shared the Rajasthan Royals dressing room with him to help him take a call on his future.
“I will call him up in a day or two, thank him for everything. His suggestions would also be important, that will help me take the next step smoothly,” he said.