Interview: 'Cricket wasn't for me anymore', Ireland international quits cricket aged only 26

“For the first few overs, I was quite nervous, waiting for a massive cut shot from Virat Kohli to come my way”.

A nervous Sean Terry, speaking to an Irish daily back in 2014, hadn't suppressed his feelings of being part of a Test match.

Playing for Hampshire then, Terry was thrown into the deep end, replacing Ian Bell as a substitute fielder for England, against India in the Southampton Test. He had no international experience prior to that.

He ended up poaching Ajinkya Rahane off Moeen Ali at mid-on.

Four years later, all of 26, Terry, an Ireland international cricketer, decided to call it quits from all forms of the game.

"Yes, I did take that catch down at the Ageas Bowl when I was at Hampshire. My goal was to follow in dad's footsteps (his father Paul represented England) and play for Hampshire then go from there".

"I felt like I wasn’t mentally at the level to play international cricket and just wasn’t enjoying the game like should have been. I am just looking to move in a new direction".

Terry spoke to Sportskeeda about bringing a sudden end to his career, and the road that lies ahead for him.

Born in Hampshire, he represented Western Australia at the Under-19 level and then moved back to England. In 2016, he decided to move to Ireland and graduated to the international level in no time.

"The proudest moment in my cricketing career was making my debut for Ireland".

He went on to play for them in five ODIs and a T20I, that very year. Until last month, he was representing Leinster Lightning in the Inter-Provincial Championship.

It's very rare that a player of his age, with international experience, gives up the game completely. It reminds one of Zafar Ansari, who broke into the English side at the age of 25 but decided to walk away in pursuit of higher academic glory.

England's Zafar Ansari had similarly retired, aged only 25, in 2017.

For Terry, the pressure to play the sport wasn't the reason.

"No, I always enjoyed the pressure. I just felt that cricket wasn’t for me anymore".

He still believes he can pursue a career in the game, albeit in a different capacity. "If the right thing came up then I would definitely stay involved with cricket".

His career ended with Ireland, his adopted nation that recently made its foray into Test cricket. Just last week, they were at the receiving end of a 2-0 drubbing to the touring Indians in a T20I series.

"Ireland are a bit of a crossroads, people have put so much work to get the opportunities for the country. Now it’s up to the selectors to be brave and start blooming some new players. The only way Irish based players are going to be ready for international cricket is to play international cricket".

Captain Virat Kohli is back in England, itching to burn the demons of his horrid 2014 season. At Southampton, India had given away their lead for England to level the series. They eventually ended up losing the series 2-1 to the hosts.

Terry (

centre

) celebrates Ajinkya Rahane's catch at the Ageas Bowl

Recalling his day under the sun during that game, Terry said: "It was an extremely nerve-wracking day! I just remember Ian Bell getting injured in one the first few overs".

"It was an amazing atmosphere throughout the day and I ended up spending the whole day on the field. Then obviously, that catch went up and I was extremely nervous".

"Luckily, I caught it and will provide me with a good story for future years!"

There might be a few regrets, but Terry has decided to move on, looking elsewhere to find a new meaning in life.

"I feel disappointed that I couldn’t have a bit more time with Ireland but this is 100% the right decision for me. I want to start a new phase of my life and move back to be around my family and friends".

Amidst cricketing stories of players trying to stretch their careers, Terry tale sits out in complete contrast. Sporting scripts, as they say, never cease to amaze.