- Monday, February 24, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
UNMUKT Chand, who led India to win the Under-19 World Cup in Australia in 2012, has decided to quit Indian cricket at the age of 28. The batsman, who has played 67 first-class matches, 120 List A and 77 T20 games but never made it to the national side, posted a series of tweets on Friday (13) making his intention clear.
Chand, who slammed an unbeaten 111 in the 2012 World Cup final against hosts Australia to win the player-of-the-match award, wrote, “I don’t know how I should be feeling cause honestly I am still figuring it out. The very thought of not being able to represent my country again literally stops my heartbeat for a while.”
“Personally, there have been quite a few glorious moments in my cricketing journey in India. Winning the U-19 World cup for India is one of the biggest moments of my life. It was a special feeling to lift the cup as a captain and bring smiles to so many Indians across the world. I can never forget that feeling. Also, leading India A on numerous occasions and winning various bilateral and tri-series are etched in my memory forever,” the Delhi-born cricketer added.
T1- On to the next innings of my life #JaiHind?? pic.twitter.com/fEEJ9xOdlt
— Unmukt Chand (@UnmuktChand9) August 13, 2021
Chand, who made his first-class debut in 2010, has scored 3,379 runs at an average of 31.57. In List A cricket, he made 4,505 runs at an average of 41.33 in 120 games. In the T20s, he has made 1,565 runs at an average of 22.35 and a strike rate of 116. Overall, he has made 18 hundreds (eight in first-class, seven in List A and three in T20s).
T2- On to the next innings of my life #JaiHind?? pic.twitter.com/8yK7QBHtUZ
— Unmukt Chand (@UnmuktChand9) August 13, 2021
Chand shot to prominence after the 2012 final. He hit his maiden first-class century – 151 – also his career-best, in his fourth game. He made his Indian Premier League debut at the age of 18 but failed to impress for any of the three sides he played for – former Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. Chand also played for India A and led them to wins against New Zealand A in 2013 and Bangladesh A two years later.
T3- On to the next innings of my life #JaiHind?? pic.twitter.com/w84kWeCqhM
— Unmukt Chand (@UnmuktChand9) August 13, 2021
But then a loss of form means he was no longer an automatic pick for his state Delhi either. In 2016, Chand found himself dropped from the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy squad. He also went unsold in the IPL. In 2019-20, he changed base to Uttarakhand but there too, he found little success. In seven games in first-class cricket that season, he scored less than 200 runs at an average of below 14.
“Things have not been as smooth in the last few years and opportunities have been denied,” Chand wrote, adding, “Though a part of me is not at peace with the way things have unfolded in the last few years, I still choose to see the silver lining and with fond memories bid adieu to BCCI and seek better opportunities around the world.”
Could we see the man donning some other country’s colours at the highest level next?
