NEW DELHI: Sachin Tendulkar who added glory to One-day cricket with his delectable and electrifying shots has announced his retirement from this format of the game. The hope of millions of his ardent fans to see him in the 2015 World Cup too faded with it when Tendulkar through a statement to the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India said that: “I have decided to retire from the One Day format of the game. I feel blessed to have fulfilled the dream of being part of a World Cup winning Indian team. The preparatory process to defend the World Cup in 2015 should begin early and in right earnest. I would like to wish the team all the very best for the future. I am eternally grateful to all my well wishers for their unconditional support and love over the years.”
This batting genius had broken almost all records in One-day cricket through his 463 One-dayers and scored 18,426 runs with 49 centuries. Interestingly, even in his last One-day international match in Dhaka against Pakistan on March 18, 2012 he had scored a half century. This match was following his 100th century in international cricket when he scored 114 against Bangladesh.
The Sharjah Cricket Stadium was the venue for some of his spectacular knocks including the famous century against the mighty Australians which referred to as the Sandstorm knock in 1998.
The Mumbai batsman is the world's top run-getter in one-day cricket, with 18,426 runs from 463 matches at an average of 44.83 with 49 centuries.
Tendulkar, who is also the highest scorer in Tests, said that he was quitting to allow the Indian selectors to build a team for the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
"The preparatory process to defend the World Cup in 2015 should begin early... I would like to wish the team all the very best for the future," he said.
It was unclear if Tendulkar will continue to play Test cricket, where he has scored a record 15,645 runs in 194 matches at an average of 54.32 with 51 centuries.
With inputs from Agencies
