Former India captain Sourav Ganguly said today he would retire from international cricket at the end of the upcoming four-Test series against Australia.


"This will be my last series," the 36-year-old told reporters after a training session ahead of the first Test starting in Bangalore on Thursday.

"Before coming here, I spoke to my teammates and hopefully I will go out with a winning knock."

Ganguly was a surprise inclusion for the first two Tests after being ignored for the five-day domestic Irani Cup tie last month, regarded as a trial match for the series.

Ganguly was India's most successful Test captain with 21 wins in 49 matches before he was sacked in 2005 following a public spat with then coach Greg Chappell.

The elegant left-hander, who made his Test debut in 1996, has so far scored 6,888 runs in 109 Tests at an average of 41.74 with 15 centuries.

Ganguly finished his one-day career with 11,363 runs in 311 matches, one of only seven batsmen in the world to cross the 10,000-run mark in limited-overs cricket.