Mumbai: Former India and Andhra wicketkeeper KS Bharat, who played seven Tests and scored 221 runs at an average of 20.09 between 2023 and 2024, announced his retirement from international cricket on Thursday at the age of 32.
Bharat made his Test debut against Australia in Nagpur in February 2023 during the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and played the last of his seven Tests against England at Visakhapatnam in February 2024. He also featured in 113 first-class matches, scoring 6,102 runs at an average of 36.53, with 11 centuries and 31 fifties.
Emotional retirement note
In a note on his Instagram account, Bharat wrote: "With a proud heart and a sense of gratitude, I announce my retirement from international cricket. To play for my country has been the greatest honour of my life. This journey of mine has demanded great resilience and strength, but the honour of representing India in Tests was worth every moment."
He added: "In a family of four, we all lived the same dream over two decades. A big thank you to my sister, mom and dad for creating the environment and support system that they have been. I am a product of their love, discipline and hard work."
Thank you to teammates and coaches
Bharat, who played in the IPL for four teams — Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru — thanked India's modern-day greats Virat Kohli, under whom he played at RCB, and Rohit Sharma, under whose captaincy he made his Test debut for India.
He expressed gratitude to his Indian coach Rahul Dravid, the BCCI, Andhra Cricket Association, VDCA, and all the groundsmen and teammates who supported him throughout his career.
Ranji Trophy triple century
Bharat became the first wicketkeeper-batter to score a triple hundred in the Ranji Trophy when he smashed 308 off 311 balls for Andhra against Goa in Ongole during the 2014-15 Ranji Trophy season. He also scored 2,692 and 1,812 runs in List A and T20 cricket respectively.
In his retirement note, Bharat stated: "To my coach J Krishna Rao, thank you for shaping me into an international cricketer at a young age. To the fans and cricket lovers across the world, thank you for your endless support and encouragement whenever I represented our country. Hearing our national anthem and sharing the field with great ambassadors of the game are memories I will cherish forever."
Focus on mentoring young cricketers
Post-retirement, Bharat said he wanted to focus on mentoring young cricketers. He advised: "My advice to young players is to dream big and work hard to achieve it. Dreams do come true with grit, discipline, hard work and determination. If I could achieve my dream, so can you."
He concluded: "My journey with BCCI and Test cricket may have come to an end, but my journey in the game continues. I will keep playing, contributing and giving back to cricket by guiding, mentoring and coaching the next generation who dream of making it big. I love India and I love cricket. Thank you for everything."
A regular with India A at one point, Bharat was part of Delhi Daredevils in the IPL in 2015. Later, he played for RCB in 2021, where he smashed an unbeaten 78 in a thrilling last-ball win over Delhi Capitals, lofting Avesh Khan for a straight six to seal the match. In the following three years, Bharat was part of Delhi Capitals (2022), Gujarat Titans (2023) and Kolkata Knight Riders (2024), when they won the title, but he did not get many opportunities.
