Bhatia announces retirement on daughters birthday; recalls best moment

Domestic veteran Rajat Bhatia on Wednesday announced his retirement from all forms of cricket thus bringing an end to a career which spanned over 20 yearsYes I made the decision to retire from all forms of cricket in the morning I have sent a mail to the BCCI and to DDCA as well Bhatia confirmed to IANSThe allrounder played 112 firstclass games in which he scored 6482 runs and took 137 wickets He was part of Delhis Ranji Trophy title win in 2008 and had played a brilliant knock of unbeaten 139 in the final against Uttar Pradesh In List A cricket he played 119 matches scoring 3038 runs and scalping 93 wicketsThe allrounders last appearance in representative cricket came in Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League where he played four List A games for Mohammedan Sporting Club in 201819I was supposed to retire from the game in September 2019 because I was not playing domestic cricket last year But I thought I could still wait as I was playing as a professional in Bangladesh But then things changed there and I got to know that they will not take any professionals said BhatiaSo I thought this is the best time to take retirement because its a special day for me as its my daughters birthday Hence I decided why not take this decision on a day which I can remember he addedThe Delhiborn cricketer turned out for his home franchise Delhi Daredevils for three seasons in the Indian Premier League but his best returns came under Gautam Gambhirled Kolkata Knight Riders The 40yearold was twice part of the titlewinning sides in 2008 with the Rajasthan Royals and 2012 with the Kolkata Knight Riders In all he played 146 T20 games scoring 1251 runs and picking up 111 wicketsThe domestic veteran featured in every single season from the inaugural IPL until the 2017 edition However he could never make it to the national teamAs an individual I will always remember taking Sachin Tendulkars wicket three times in the IPL said Bhatia when asked to pick one special moment from his career which stands out for himWhen quipped about his future plans Bhatia said I am already a biomechanic specialist in training I was doing the course for the last three yearsI invested in this kind of thing because its a specified kind of training which I think one should be doing because it is related to all kinds of sport And I want to give back to cricket through thisBhatia further said that although he doesnt want to become a coach he would like to offer tips to budding cricketers if an opportunity knocks at his doorCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereAlso download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever