Devendra Bundela retires from first-class cricket

Devendra Bundela, the Madhya Pradesh batsman and most capped cricketer in Ranji Trophy history, has announced his retirement, bringing to an end a 22-year first-class career. The 41-year old Bundela's last match remains MP's 2017-18 Ranji Trophy quarterfinal clash that was won by Delhi. Bundela breached the 10000-run mark in first-class cricket in that match.

Bundela first rose to prominence as a member of the India Under-19 team that faced Australia in 1995. Shortly thereafter, he made his first-class debut against Tamil Nadu in the domestic season that year. He would go on to play 164 first-class matches in which he amassed 10004 runs at an average of 43.68, with the help of 26 centuries and 54 fifties. Bundela also struck 2299 runs in an 82-game List A career with a lone century and 13 half-centuries.

Bundela, who captained MP for seven years, was an integral cog of the state's batting order for several years, but never got the national call-up. Despite spending over two decades with the MP side, Bundela could never experience lifting the Ranji Trophy. The closest he got to doing so was when MP made the final of the 1998-99 Ranji Trophy, where they lost to Karnataka. He was, however, a prolific run-scorer during his time, his 9201 runs the third highest in tournament history, behind Wasim Jaffer and one less than second-placed Amol Muzumdar.