It was quite expected once he was picked for this series.. the good thing is he will go out with respect and get a farewell from the fans. India`s finest test captain without a shadow of doubt and would be missed in Indian cricket for ever. I think the world might have some "indifferent" memories about him, but i think most people would agree he was a fighter to the core. Wish u all the best & Will miss you!

 

Ganguly to retire after Australia Tests

Cricinfo staff

October 7, 2008

	Sourav Ganguly is looking to sign off on a high © Getty Images

Sourav Ganguly has announced he will retire after the upcoming Test series against Australia.

"This will be my last series," said Ganguly at the end of a routine press conference in Bangalore. "Before coming here I spoke to my team-mates and hopefully I will go out with a winning knock."

Ganguly, 36, has scored 6888 runs in 109 Tests, with 15 hundreds. He played 49 Tests as captain, the most by an Indian. The 21 matches won during his tenure is also an Indian record, and his win percentage of over 40 is the highest for players who have captained India in more than one Test. Starting with a hundred on debut, Ganguly's Test average has never dipped below 40.

Kris Srikkanth, head of India's new selection panel, said Ganguly had made the right decision. "I think Sourav Ganguly has been an excellent player," he said. "He has brought so many laurels as captain and player.

"He had a good chat with me and [fellow selector] Narendra Hirwani. He wants a peaceful series without any troubles on his mind. I hope he goes out with couple of hundreds. Ganguly was one of the best captains the world has ever produced and I think he deserves it."

India's selectors picked Ganguly in a 15-man squad for the first two Tests against Australia despite intense speculation on his future leading up to the selection meeting in Mumbai last week. Ganguly had reportedly considered quitting cricket after being overlooked for the Irani Cup match between the Rest of India and Delhi but India's selection panel valued his experience over youngsters like Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif.

In 311 ODIs, he scored 11,363 runs at 41.02. He captained India in 147 ODIs. His last ODI was against Pakistan in Gwalior on November 15, 2007. He is one of only three players to complete the treble of 10,000 runs, 100 wickets and 100 catches in ODIs, Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar being the others. Along with Tendulkar, he formed a prolific partnership at the top of the order, with 6609 runs at an average of nearly 50 per stand in 136 innings.

Since his recall in December 2006 and till the end of the home series against South Africa earlier this year, Ganguly scored 1571 runs at 50.67, including a maiden double-century. However, he managed only 96 runs in six innings during India's 2-1 series defeat in Sri Lanka this summer.

More to follow ...

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