Shubman Gill's Teammate Retires. Image Credits: AFP
One of Shubman Gill’s teammate has officially announced his retirement from all forms of domestic cricket on Thursday afternoon, having spent over two decades chasing the India cap.
The Ludhiana-born cricketer had a substantial number of domestic matches under his belt in his 14-year senior career but could not really break into the India setup, despite boasting decent numbers, as he calls it an unfulfilled dream.
Shubman Gill’s teammate Gitansh Khera retires
Gitansh Khera took to his Instagram account on the afternoon of August 20 and called it quits through an emotional statement. He wrote about his unfulfilled India dream, while still being grateful for the career he had, playing alongside the best of the best.
“Like any cricket-loving kid, I wanted to represent India. But life doesn’t always go according to your plans. While that dream remained unfulfilled, I am proud that I gave everything I had and, along the way, made lifelong friends and countless memories. As I announce my retirement from all three formats, my love for the game is stronger than ever,” Khera wrote.
He shared how the last couple of decades have been for him, ever since he represented Punjab in 2004 as a U1-15 boy and named Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, current India Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma as his star teammates.
“My journey started in 2004 as a U-15 boy. Over the next two decades, I was privileged to represent Punjab in more than 100 senior matches across formats and share the dressing room with legends like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and today’s stars like Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma.”
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A look at Gitansh Khera's career
Born on June 4, 1991, in Ludhiana, Punjab, Gitansh Khera is a wicketkeeper batter who was a prominent fixture in Punjab’s domestic teams over the past 15 years.
Having first played for the Punjab senior side in 2010, he played 56 First Class matches, scoring 2515 runs at an average of 33.98. He scored 3 hundreds and 15 fifties, with the best score of 164 and 165 dismissals with the gloves on.
In List A cricket, he fared well in 40 matches, scoring 1017 runs at an average of 44.21 and a strike rate of 85.03. While scoring three fifties and three hundreds, he recorded the career-high score of 167. Due to the competition in the team, he only got 11 T20 matches for 96 runs to his name. He inflicted 81 dismissals in white-ball cricket.
Notably, Gitansh Khera was Punjab’s wicketkeeper when Shubman Gill made his List A debut in 2017 against Vidarbha. He also had a brief domestic stint in Sri Lanka, where he racked up impressive numbers in 2018/19, but with younger blood coming in, he last represented the state in January 2024.
Despite six hundreds and 18 fifties in his career, he termed his 47 (107) against Odisha in 2011/12 in Mohali as the favourite knock. He had batted with a broken finger in the match.
What’s next for Khera?
At 35, Gitansh Khera has a lot of avenues that he can explore in the coming years. As things stand, he hasn’t officially spoken about his future, but working with the BCCI as a commentator, turning into an umpire or a coach are the most prominent options he has ahead of him unless he decides to work outside cricket.
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