New Delhi: Former India fast bowler Sudeep Tyagi has announced retirement from first-class cricket and is likely to ink a contract with Lanka Premier League (LPL) for the island league’s inaugural season.
The 33-year-old Tyagi, who represented India in four One-day Internationals and one T20 International in 2009 and 2010, had represented Uttar Pradesh and Hyderabad in first-class cricket. He played 41 first-class games and picked 109 wickets during his 10-year career that was beset by injuries to shoulder and ankle. He last played a first-class match in 2017.
“LPL is in the pipeline, but it is not confirmed yet,” Tyagi, who took to cricket at the age of 17, told IANS.
“I am grateful to have played at the highest level, representing India and feel very proud of it. A lot of people helped me during my journey. I need to thank my first Ranji Trophy captain Mohammed Kaif, who motivated me a lot. I also need to thank Suresh Raina. He also came from Ghaziabad like me and I started playing cricket after seeing him play,” he said. “Also thanks to Dhoni, under whom I played my international cricket. He gave me a lot of confidence.”
Tyagi felt that injuries affected his career.
“I suffered back-to-back injuries and that kept me out for 2.5-3 years. First I had a shoulder injury, then ankle and back too. My career was going well but then I suffered the injuries. Though injury is part and parcel of the game and we can’t blame it, but I feel if I had not been injured, I could have played more. In India, competition is so stiff that injuries can set you back and I suffered back-to-back ones, so I lost a few years there,” he added.
“But I don’t have any regrets though sometimes I do feel I could have played more,” added Tyagi who has been keeping himself cricket-fit in Hyderabad, where he lives now.
“It is something that has become a routine, having played for so many years. I have been practising. I was practising for 2-3 days a week at nets.”
If he joins LPL, he could be the fourth Indian after Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel and Manpreet Gony to sign an LPL contract.
By Khurram Habib
