Sangakkara to retire after second India Test

In a special press conference conducted after the third day's play of the second Test, Sangakkara made public his decision to retire.  

Legendary Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara, on Saturday, announced he would retire from international cricket after the second Test against India. Sangakkara will not play the third Test of the ongoing Pakistan Test series at Pallekele before finishing off with the first two Test of the India series.

In a special press conference conducted after the third day's play of the second Test, the 37-year old made public his decision to quit the longest format, ending weeks of speculation. The prolific left-hander revealed that he had intended to retire from all forms of cricket after the 2015 Cricket World Cup but had agreed to play four more Test matches at the behest of Sri Lanka's previous selection committee.

"I've had the time of my life playing for Sri Lanka," Sangakkara said. "It has been a great honour. Growing up as a kid, watching players like Aravinda de Silva play for Sri Lanka and then one day to get a chance to play with them. I've thoroughly enjoyed playing every format, but donning the whites for Sri Lanka has been a different feeling altogether. There have been so many ups and downs. I've had bad days as well but the good times outweigh the bad. I know, it's disappointing to say goodbye to something you've done for over 15 years, but I know this is the right time to leave."

Sangakkara, who made his Test debut in 2000 in Galle against a visiting South African side, holds several records in Test cricket. His tally of 12271 Test runs at 58.43 (as of the first Test against Pakistan) makes him the the highest run-getter for Sri Lanka in the five-day format. Only Sachin Tendulkar (15,921), Ricky Ponting (13,378), Jacques Kallis (13,289) and Rahul Dravid (13,288) are above him in the all-time run-getters list.

Sangakkara's 38 Test centuries comprise 11 200+ scores, which is only one behind Sir Don Bradman's tally of 12. Sangakkara, who earlier this year was named CEAT International Cricketer of the yearbesides being named the Leading Cricketer of 2014-15 by Wisden's Almanack, was only recently upstaged by Steven Smith to the top-spot in the ICC Test Rankings.

Sangakkara, however, reckoned that personal milestones never influenced his retirement decision. "If that (personal milestones) is the only driving ambition, then it is time to say 'thank you very much'. I've prided myself in doing well individually, but I should be able to look at my teammates in the eye and say I really went out there for the country and not individual records."

While Sangakkara bids farewell to the international scene, he stated that he would still feature in various domestic competitions around the globe. He recently penned a two-year contract to represent Surrey in the county circuit and said he'll honour that. The veteran batsman, however, ruled out the possibility of taking up a coaching role in the immediate future. "I will make a bad coach. Coaching is a tough job. I don't think I have the patience to deal with individuals on a consistent basis," he said.

The former Sri Lankan captain retired from the T20 format after guiding the island nation to the World T20 title in 2014 and earlier this year, Sangakkara scored four consecutive hundreds in the 50-over World Cup, a tournament after which he quit the limited overs format. He was requested by the board to carry on until the India series in Tests in a bid to facilitate a smooth transition to the new era of Sri Lankan cricket.

When asked if he'd like to finish off at his hometown of Kandy, a stoic Sangakkara said: "I'd love to be allowed to choose the location of my final Test but i'll play where the matches are. Murali (Muttiah Muralitharan) was also from Kandy but he finished off in Galle. I can't ask for everything. If i don't get to play my last Test in Kandy, so be it."