Laxmi Ratan Shukla announces retirement from all formats of cricket

Former Bengal captain and all-rounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla announced retirement from all formats of cricket on Wednesday, December 30, 2015. Shukla, from the very beginning of his career, was an active and important member for Bengal, and has guided the team to several important wins. Having played 137 First-Class matches, he has had 6,217 runs so far with an average of 35.93. He has 9 First-Class centuries and 37 fifties after his name. From 141 List A matches he had scored 2,997 runs with an average of 30.27 and has 4 centuries and 13 fifties. He was also the first Bengal player to play 100 Ranji Trophy matches. Picked for India at a mere 18, Shukla played 3 One-Day Internationals (ODIs). He did not click with the bat, but an economy rate of 4.94 was perhaps not too bad. READ: Laxmi Ratan Shukla: The domestic warhorse

Shukla also bagged 172 First-Class wickets and 143 List A wickets. His T20 records (mostly in the Indian Premier League, for Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils) saw him attain a strike rate of 120.6 and an economy rate of 7.11. One of the most memorable knock of him being the match against Rajasthan Royals where he scored an unbeaten 48 and guided his team Kolkata Knight Riders to victory when the whole team failed. Despite his success in the shortest format, Shukla was never recalled by India. He was also in the reckoning for a Test cap in his teens, but Ashish Nehra’s last-minute debut meant that Shukla had to sit out. In the end, Shukla finished his career without playing a Test.

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Here is what Bengal Ranji Team tweeted about his retirement:

MohunBagan is like my second home ,having played here for last 14 yrs .So announcing here my retirement here : Laxmi pic.twitter.com/bLS7QgMeUk

— Bengal Ranji Team (@BengalRanjiTeam) December 30, 2015

Though Shukla disappointed with his performance while chosen for the national side, his First-Class career surely reflects the amount of potential the player has. He also played some match-winning knocks while playing in the Indian Premier League. Here’s wishing the cricketer a prosperous life off the field post his retirement from the game.