One of Ranji Trophy’s most celebrated players Laxmi Ratan Shukla announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, after a remarkable career stretching nearly two decades. The ever-reliable Bengal player had made his debut in the 1997-98 Ranji Trophy season.
The 34-year-old cited lack of motivation behind his decision to retire. "For last one month, I was not getting the right motivation. Not feeling myself, the link was missing. Mentally, I was not ready to play again. I started having this feeling for about a month and was not able to sleep properly. Now I can sleep peacefully," he said.
Shukla’s decision to retire surprised many as he was just recently named in Bengal's 16-member squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. There were reports that CAB president Sourav Ganguly was unhappy with the performance of Bengal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and as captain Shukla was indirectly put to blame.
However, the stalwart himself rubbished all rumours and said that Dada wanted him to continue. "He's been a source of inspiration not only to me but for cricketers all over the world. He wanted me to continue but I told him I was not feeling well," he remarked.
The all-rounder has featured in 137 first-class matches, scoring 6217 runs at an average of 35.93. He also has 9 first-class centuries and 37 half-centuries. In 141 List A matches, Shukla scored 2997 runs at an average of 30.27 and has 4 centuries and 13 half-centuries in that format. He is also the first Bengal player to feature in 100 Ranji matches.
His bowling career has been equally impressive and he has taken 172 wickets at an economy of 2.79. In List A career, the veteran has picked up 143 wickets at an average 27.62 and an economy of 4.45. He even played for the national team in the year 1999.
Shukla talked about his love for Bengal and termed his retirement as painful. "I'm committed to my state Bengal from where I got everything. State is a big pride for all of us. To play for Bengal is the biggest moment of my career. It's obviously painful but I think it's the right time for me to go," he said.
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