Team India Wicket-Keeper Karuna Jain Announces Retirement From All Forms Of Cricket

Cricket Image for Team India Wicket-Keeper Karuna Jain Announces Retirement From All Forms Of Cricke (Image Source: IANS)

India wicketkeeper Karuna Jain on Sunday announced her retirement from all forms of cricket. Karuna featured for India in five Tests, 44 ODIs and nine T20Is from 2005 and 2014, making 195, 987 and nine runs respectively.

On her ODI debut in 2004, she made 64 against the West Indies in Lucknow, which made her an integral part of the Indian team.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been a part of my cricketing journey from the very beginning to all my coaches, support staff and my team mates whose been a part throughout my career."

"Each one of them has taught me something different about the game and life that made me the player and person I am today. It's been an incredible journey I've been able to have and it would not have been possible without everyone who supported me during my ups and downs," said Karuna in a statement posted on her official Instagram account.

In women's Tests, she effected 17 dismissals behind the stumps, which is the second-best tally among Indian keepers after Anju Jain, who made 23 dismissals. Karuna, the Bengaluru-based wicketkeeper, went on to thank everyone in her family as well the BCCI and state associations she represented in domestic circuit.

"My family being the biggest support and my brother being a cricketer himself made it easy and challenging for me to adopt the game and deliver the best in every time I stepped onto the grounds. I could continue to play the sport and contribute for a very long time because of unflinching support and sacrifices done by them."

"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the BCCI and the State Association that I have represented which include Air India, Karnataka and Pondicherry and all the support extended by them. With a lot of happy and satisfied feelings, I'm able to make this announcement of my retirement from all forms of cricket and looking forward to contributing back to the game."