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31-year-old left-arm pacer Barinder Sran announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Thursday, August 29, through an Instagram post. Sran, a former boxer who transitioned to cricket, was not renowned for his speed. However, legendary cricketer Yuvraj Singh recognized his potential, comparing him to a young Zaheer Khan.
Barinder Sran retires from all forms of cricket
Impressed by Sran's talent, BCCI selectors included him in the ODI squad for the 2016 tour of Australia, despite his limited experience with only 8 List-A matches under his belt.
Barinder Sran made his ODI debut on January 12, 2016, under the leadership of MS Dhoni. In his debut match, he impressed with a 3-wicket haul. Overall, Sran represented India in 6 ODIs, claiming 7 wickets at an average of 38.42 and an economy of 5.34. Sran also made his T20I debut on June 20, 2016, against Zimbabwe in Harare, delivering a standout performance with bowling figures of 4/10. However, he only played one more T20I match for India, taking 2 wickets.
Sran's last ODI appearance for India came on June 15, 2016, while his final T20I match was on June 22, 2016. Following these appearances, he was not considered for selection and did not don the India jersey again.
Barinder Sran shared his retirement announcement on Instagram on Thursday. In his post, he reflected on his cricketing journey. He stated:
“As I officially hang up my cricket boots, I look back at my journey with a heart full of gratitude. Since switching from boxing in 2009, cricket has gifted me innumerable and incredible experiences. Fast bowling soon became my lucky charm and opened doors to represent prestigious IPL franchises, ultimately culminating in the highest honor of representing India in 2016”.
Sran continued his Instagram post by acknowledging that his international career was brief but that the memories he created during that time would be cherished forever. He elaborated:
"Even though my international career was brief, the memories created will be forever cherished. I am eternally grateful to the almighty for getting me the right coaches and management, who have supported me throughout my journey. As I embark on this new chapter, I carry immense gratitude for the opportunities that cricket has afforded me. Lastly as the saying goes, "Just like the sky, dreams have no limits", so keep dreaming," his post further read.
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Sran represented various teams in the Indian Premier League, including Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). He also served as a net bowler for Gujarat Titans. Throughout his IPL career, Sran claimed 18 wickets in 24 matches, averaging 42.05 with an economy of 9.40 and a strike rate of 26.8.
His last competitive cricket match was in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Punjab against Madhya Pradesh on February 28, 2021. In that match, he contributed 24 runs and took one wicket for 91 runs.
When Barinder Sran denied Virat Kohli and RCB an IPL title
Sran also turned heads in IPL 2016 final between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Playing for SRH, Sran apparently denied Virat Kohli a 1000-run season and RCB an IPL title in IPL 2016. Sran clean bowled Kohli to help SRH beat RCB by 8 runs. Kohli had scored four blistering centuries in that season but missed out on a historic 1000-run season as he finished with 973 runs under his belt.
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