Former Indian cricketer and World Cup hero Gautam Gambhir have paid his tribute to his good friend and former teammate at India and KKR, Yusuf Pathan after he announced his retirement. On Friday, Yusuf Pathan left everyone stunned after he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
Yusuf took to his Twitter and shared a heartwarming note with his fans confirming the news of his retirement and also expressing gratitude towards everyone. He wrote:
“I thank my family, friends, fans, teams, coaches and the whole country wholeheartedly for all the support and love. #retirement. I still remember the day when I wore the India jersey for the first time. I didn’t only wear the jersey that day, but I took upon my family’s, coach’s, friends’, the whole country’s and my own expectations on my shoulders as well. Since my childhood, my life has revolved only around cricket. I played at the international level, domestic level and in the IPL in my career.”
He added:
“But today is a bit different. There is no World Cup or IPL final today but it is equally important. The time has come today for me to put a full stop to this innings of my life. I officially announce retirement from all forms of game. I thank my family, friends, fans, teams, coaches and the whole country wholeheartedly for all the support and love. I am sure you will continue to encourage me in the future as well,”
Furthermore, Yusuf also thanked the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, and several other coaches, senior players, and the BCCI for his overall run.
Here, check out the tweet:
I thank my family, friends, fans, teams, coaches and the whole country wholeheartedly for all the support and love. #retirement pic.twitter.com/usOzxer9CE
— Yusuf Pathan (@iamyusufpathan) February 26, 2021
Meanwhile, following Pathan’s tweet announcing his retirement, the cricket fraternity has been paying their tributes to the cricketer. Among many, former Indian cricketer and world-cup hero Gautam Gambhir also took to his Twitter and reacted to the news of Yusuf Pathan’s retirement. In his tweet, he paid a heartfelt tribute to his good friend Yusuf. Gambhir wrote:
“A gem of a person & a true match winner. It was my privilege to play for both India & KKR with you. Take a bow @iamyusufpathan! Lots of love!”
Here, check out the Tweet:
A gem of a person & a true match winner. It was my privilege to play for both India & KKR with you. Take a bow @iamyusufpathan! Lots of love! pic.twitter.com/Kd0Hym8N7t
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) February 26, 2021
Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan share a great bond and their friendship goes back a long way. The duo have together helped India win the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. Later, they reunited in the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise in IPL and won the title of the tournament twice for the franchise.