Former India all-rounder Stuart Binny announced retirement from all forms of cricket on Monday (August 30). He overall played 23 international cricket matches across formats for India, which included a memorable spell in ODI against Bangladesh where he bagged 6 wickets for 4 runs - the best-ever figures recorded by an Indian in the format.
Binny recalled his best moment for India in an interaction with Asianet Newsable, and said it was receiving his debut Test cap from former captain MS Dhoni. He made his Test debut against England at Nottingham in 2014, and went on to score 78 runs off 118 balls.
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“I think my best moment from Indian cricket is when I received my Test cap from MS Dhoni at Nottingham. That’s the moment which I would cherish the most,” said Binny.
“He [MS Dhoni] told me that I had deserved this opportunity and that I had performed consistently well in the Ranji Trophy for three-four seasons. And obviously, if you can do it in the Ranji Trophy, it is just a matter of believing that I could do well in Test cricket as well. He also assured me that I had the full support of the Indian team, and he wanted me to go out and express myself,” he added.
The 37-year-old would have continued his cricket but he decided to take retirement after domestic cricket got affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I think I have reached a stage where cricket has become difficult for me because of the pandemic. First and foremost, there was not enough cricket played in the last two years. And, to be a professional cricketer, you need to be playing cricket continuously and also practice regularly.
“Also, it is difficult to carry on as a cricketer if you are only practicing and not getting game time. Thus, I felt that my best years had passed as a professional, and I also did not want to continue just because I loved playing it. I depended heavily on my performances as well, and I felt that it was the right time to make that decision,” he said.
Binny played 95 matches first-class matches with majority coming for his home state Karnataka, and overall, he ended his first-class career with 4796 runs and 146 wickets.
