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Indian cricketer Punam Raut brought the curtains down on her international career spanning over a decade on Thursday.
From 2009 to 2021, Raut represented the Indian tricolour in four Tests, 73 ODIs and 35 T20Is. Posting on her Instagram, Punam reflected on her journey, "filled with sacrifices, struggles, unforgettable victories, tough lessons, and moments she will cherish for a lifetime." "One last time, for the little girl who dared to dream. From the streets of Mumbai to wearing the Indian jersey, this journey has been nothing short of a blessing. A journey filled with sacrifices, struggles, unforgettable victories, tough lessons, and moments I will cherish for a lifetime," she said. Punam, 37, said that playing for India was not only a dream fulfilled, but a "privilege I carried with immense pride." She reflected on how the sport gave her "more than a career" and a "purpose, identity and a family". "As I close this chapter of my international cricket career, my heart is filled with gratitude for everyone who believed in me, stood by me, and became a part of my journey.Cricket gave me more than a career. It gave me a purpose, an identity, and a family.The player in me may step aside, but the love for this game will never retire. My next innings is about giving back to the game that gave me everything.Thank you, India," she signed off. https://www.instagram.com/p/DehNkFkCJjv/?img_index=1 In 73 ODIs, Punam scored 2,299 runs at an average of 34.83, with three centuries and 15 fifties in 73 innings, with a best score of 109*. In four Tests, she scored 264 runs in seven innings, at an average of 44.00, including a century, with a best score of 130. In 35 T20Is and 31 innings, she made 719 runs at an average of 27.65, with four fifties and a best score of 75. She was a standout performer in the 2017 ICC Women's World Cup campaign for India, scoring 381 runs in nine innings at an average of 42.33, with a century and two fifties, and a best score of 106. She ended as the tournament's fifth-highest run-scorer and played a big role in India's runners-up finish to England. (ANI)
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