MV Sridhar announces retirement

He has the kind of record that few batsmen can boast of in the Ranji Trophy championship. A hundred on debut. A triple century, indeed his 366 against Andhra in 1993-94 is the third highest score in the national competition. And a tally of 6056 runs and 21 centuries from 84 matches which puts him in the top half a dozen run getters of all time in the Ranji Trophy. And yet Maturi Venkat Sridhar was not once talked about as good enough to represent India.

Not that it unduly bothered the gentleman cricketer, a doctor by profession. He was happy to serve Hyderabad, which he did nobly since his debut in 1988-89. But there comes a time when lack of motivation becomes a vital factor and this was obvious when Sridhar announced his retirement from first class cricket in Hyderabad on Monday.

``This will be my last season,'' the 33-year-old mainstay of the Hyderabad batting for more than ten years announced matter of factly. ``There is no point in carrying on when you know you cannot go far ahead. I am however available for the remaining matches of this season if selected.''

Modest to the end. But there is nothing modest about his record. The great ML Jaisimha's record tally for a Hyderabad batsman of 5226 runs from 90 matches had stood for over two decades till Sridhar surpassed it in 1998-99. ``I had a few memorable moments in the last few seasons especially when the late Jaisimha was the coach,'' said Sridhar in a touching tribute to his mentor.

So what's next for him? Sridhar has given hints that he is interested in getting into cricket administration. That way, he is assured of being associated with the game which he adorned for so long with his insatiable appetite for runs and his inimitable stylish strokeplay. He takes his place alongside other unlucky Indian cricketers whose immense playing skills were not allowed to bloom outside the domestic arena.