Former Indian women’s team skipper and allrounder Rumeli Dhar announced her retirement from all forms of the game on Wednesday. Capping a 15-year career in which she excelled with crucial match-winning contributions for the national team while also serving as their captain. She made her international debut against England in 2003.
She played for India in 78 ODIs, 18 T20Is, and four Tests between 2003 and 2018. In a T20I match against the West Indies in 2012, she also achieved the exceptional feat of opening both the batting and bowling for India.
“23 years of my cricket career that started from Shyamnagar in West Bengal, has finally come to an end as I announce my retirement from all formats of cricket. The journey has been a prolonged one with highs and lows. The high was representing the Indian Women’s cricket team, playing the World Cup final in 2005 as well as leading the Women in Blue,” wrote Rumeli through her Instagram account.
In total, Rumeli took eight wickets in Test cricket with an average of 21.75 runs and scored 236 runs overall at a strike rate of 29.50. She scored 961 runs in one-day international cricket, including six half-centuries, at an average of 19.61 while claiming 63 wickets at a strike rate of 27.38. The 38-year-old scored 131 runs in T20I cricket with the best score of unbeaten 66, averaging 18.71, and claimed 13 wickets at a 23.30 average.
She played for several domestic teams
Rumeli played domestic cricket for Delhi, Rajasthan, Assam, and subsequently Bengal during the time that she was absent from the Indian squad.
“A string of injuries plagued my career but I always came back stronger to make it count. Today as I bid adieu to the sport I have always loved, I thank my family, the BCCI, my friends, and the teams I represented (Bengal, Railways, Air India, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Assam) for believing in my abilities and giving me the opportunity,” elaborated Rumeli in her retirement post.
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