Subramaniam Badrinath retires from all forms of cricket

Former India and Tamil Nadu cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath has decided to call it a day from all forms of  cricket on Friday. A veteran of two Tests, seven ODIs and one T20I Badrinath said that he had been thinking about retirement for a year and finally arrived at the decision of quitting the game and spending time with the family.

“I want to spend more time with my family, that is my priority now. It played a huge role in me taking this decision. My motivational levels had also come down a bit in the past few years. Fitness was never an issue for me. But I have been pondering over (retirement) it for the past one year,” he said, as quoted by The Indian Express.

A mainstay of the Tamil Nadu Ranji trophy team for over a period of 10 years, Badrinath recently wore the hat of a coach of Tamil Nadu Premier League-3 side Karaikudi Kaalai. He also represented Hyderabad and Vidarbha in India’s premier domestic competition. He has over 10,245 runs to his name in 145 games, with 32 hundreds at an average of 54.49.

He said that it was his dream to guide his state Tamil Nadu to Ranji Trophy glory but unfortunately it didn’t happen.

Whenever I played for Tamil Nadu, I wore my heart on my sleeve. I did whatever I could do to win a match for my team. It was a dream to lift the trophy but I wouldn’t say it as a regret,”

Recalling the 2004 Ranji Trophy final against Mumbai at the Chepauk, he said that Tamil Nadu could have done well, especially playing at home.

“That was perhaps our best chance because we were playing at Chepauk and we won the toss as well. The odds were on our side. When you play against a side like Mumbai, you will have to bat them out. We could have definitely done better in the first innings as a batting unit,” said Badrinath.

“Once you bat first (at Chepauk), it is important to make it count. We had to seize those crucial moments but unfortunately, we couldn’t,”

The former Chennai Super Kings batsman, who turned 38 on Thursday, rated the 2010-2011 domestic season as his best and commenting on it, he said, “I was really batting at my best during the 2010-11 season. To be honest, I knew I would get a hundred even before I stepped on to the field on some occasions.”

When asked as to whether he would join the coaching staff of his state Tamil Nadu, Badrinath said that he didn’t have any such immediate plana but wouldn’t rule out a decision like this in the future.

“As of now, I don’t know, “ he said. “In the recent future, it will definitely be difficult because I am a commentator now. That keeps me busy. But I am not ruling out anything,” added Badrinath.