Rahul Dravid's Says Adios

Bangalore: The ‘Wall of Indian Cricket’ Rahul Dravid has announced retirement from international and domestic cricket in Bangalore. Here is his full farewell speech.

I would like to announce my retirement from international and domestic first-class cricket. It has been 16 years since I first played a Test match for India, and I feel it’s time for me to move on. Once I was like every other boy in India, with a dream of playing for my country. Yet I could never have imagined a journey so long and so fulfilling. I have had a wonderful time, but now it is time for a new generation of young players to make their own history and take the Indian cricket team even further.

No dream is ever chased alone. As I look back, as one does at such a time, I have many people to thank for supporting me, teaching me and believing in me.

My junior coaches in Bangalore and at various junior national camps inculcated in me a powerful love of the game which has always stayed with me.

My coaches at the international level have added to my craft and helped shape my personality. They pushed me and challenged me to keep getting better. The physios and trainers worked hard to keep me fit - not an easy job - and allowed me to play late into my 30s.

The selectors who rarely receive any credit in India had, on occasions, more confidence in me than I had in myself and I am grateful for that. The various captains I played under offered me guidance and inspired me.

The media has been kind to me, and I have respect for their craft.

The KSCA and BCCI have provided me a platform and the facilities to play the game.

But most of all, I have to thank the teams I played with. I know what I am going to miss the most is being part of a unit. The joy of bonding together and striving to achieve a goal is what made cricket special for me. I was lucky in my early years to play for a Karnataka team which was trying to forge itself into a strong side and they were years of fun and learning.