Abhimanyu Mithun retires from all forms of cricket
Karnataka pacer Abhimanyu Mithun announced through Instagram on Thursday that he was retiring from all forms of cricket at the age of 31. A four-time Test and five-time One-Day International representative for India, Mithun debuted for the national team in all formats in 2010 and retired from international cricket at the end of 2011.
When he was younger, Mithun trained at his father's gym as a discus thrower. At the age of 17, he decided to move from wrestling to cricket after competing at the state level. The year was 2008 when he made his Karnataka first-class debut, and he got 11 wickets in the game, including a hat-trick. He earned his ODI debut in February 2010 after taking the most Ranji Trophy wickets in the previous year. In July 2010, when on a tour of Sri Lanka, he made his debut in place of an injured S. Sreesanth.
In 2009, he made his IPL debut with Royal Challengers Bangalore, appearing in one game. As in 2009, he only appeared in one game for RCB in 2010. When he played 12 games in 2011, he averaged 64.20 and a 9.44 economy rate while taking five wickets. He announced his retirement from the game on Instagram, writing, "I'm going to explore other paths in my career.
"After serious thought and contemplation, I, Abhimanyu Mithun, have decided to retire from first-class cricket in order to pursue other avenues in my career. In this regard I would like to state as follows: I have represented my country at the highest level and will always be my biggest achievement. The joy and pride from it will be something I will cherish forever," said Mithun on Thursday.
On the West Indies tour in June 2011, the 31-year-old played his last Test and his final ODI in the home series against the Caribbean in December 2011. In four Tests, he has nine wickets and in five ODIs, he has three wickets.
"I would like to thank the BCCI for the massive role they have played throughout my cricketing journey. Their support has been invaluable. My cricketing journey would not have even started if it wasn't for the Karnataka State Cricket Association. They identified me, shaped me as a player and supported me through my highs and lows. It has been my honor to have played for Karnataka and win so many trophies for my state. I have made memories and friends for life. I would like to place on record the excellent support I received from the KSCA for almost two decades."
For Karnataka, he had a distinguished first-class and LIST-A career. He's taken 211 wickets in 61 first-class matches and 97 in 67 LIST-A games throughout his career, which spans six years.