Dinesh Mongia Announces Retirement from All Formats of Cricket

Former India all-rounder Dinesh Mongia has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Tuesday. However, he is best known for being chosen over veteran India player VVS Laxman in the India team that became the runner-up in the ICC World Cup 2003 in South Africa.

Mongia was last seen playing for Punjab in 2007 before he was being banned by the?Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for joining the Indian Cricket League (ICL). He made his under-19 debut for Punjab in October 1995.

However, on the back of his consistent performance in first-class cricket for more than 6 years, Dinesh Mongia was earned an ODI call-up into the national team against Australia in 2001.

He had played 57 One Day International games for India where he scored 1230 runs at an average of 27.95 that also includes an unbeaten 159 in the series decider against Zimbabwe at Guwahati in March 2002.

He, however, played a solitary T20I for India, but, he was never a part of the longer format of the game. The left-hand batsman had a great first-class career where he had played 121 first-class matches and has 21 centuries to his name. He even?also played for Lancashire and Leicestershire.

Mongia lost his touch to the game after being banned by the BCCI. Although most players banned by the BCCI for their association with the ICL were reprieved later, Mongia remained the only cricketer who was kept out of the cricketing circuit.

However, the veteran cricketer is said to be taking coaching assignments later on. Dinesh Mongia was made a state selector by the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) in the last season as well.