India all-rounder Stuart Binny retires, to take up coaching

INDIA all-rounder Stuart Binny on Monday (30) announced retirement from cricket – both international and first class – and expressed intention to focus on coaching as he believes he has “a lot to give back to cricket”.

The 37-year-old, who is the son of former India all-rounder Roger Binny, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team led by Kapil Dev, started his career with home state Karnataka and represented India in six Tests, 14 one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals between 2014 and 2016.

Binny scored 194 runs in Tests at an average of 21.55 with one fifty, 230 runs in ODIs at an average of 28.75 with one fifty and 35 runs in T20Is at an average of 17.50.

The cricketer, however, had a memorable run in the bowling department as he holds the best bowling figures in ODIs (six wickets for four runs which he took against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2014). He ended up with 20 wickets in the ODIs, three in Tests and  one in the T20Is. He also took part in the Indian Premier League and played for teams like Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore. He played between 2010 and 2019, scoring 880 runs and taking 22 wickets in 95 outings.

Binny to take up coaching

“The game of cricket runs through my blood, and I will always look to give back to the game that has given me everything,” Binny said in a statement. “I just felt it’s time for me to move on from a player to coaching…and I have a lot to give back to cricket in that department… also now since I am a level 2 coach with the NCA (National Cricket Academy),” he added.

“I would like to inform you that I have decided to retire from first-class and international cricket. It has given me tremendous joy and pride to have represented my country at the highest international level,” Binny, whose wife Mayanti Langer is a popular cricket anchor, said.

Stuart represented Karnataka in 95 first-class matches and made his debut in all the three formats abroad. He played his first ODI in New Zealand in January 2014 under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and made the Test debut in July the same year in England under the same skipper. He scored 78 at No.8 in the second innings of his debut Test and that remained his only half-century in the long format.

Binny played his first T20I in Zimbabwe in July 2015 under the captaincy of Ajinkya Rahane.

The cricketer had his final outing for India in a T20I game against the West Indies in the US in August 2016. In that match, he gave 32 runs in one over with Elvin Lewis hammering him for five sixes and he was never picked again for the country.