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Navjot Sidhu calls it a day

Former Test cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu announced his retirement from first class cricket today.

''I have no regrets; I know I always tried hard to give my best,'' said the 37-year-old at a press conference in Mohali.

"I know that I won't be taken into the Indian side any more. I could have continued to represent Punjab for another couple of years, but youngsters should be given a chance to excel.''

Commenting on his performance during the 16 years he played first class cricket, Sidhu, who opened the innings with players like Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Manoj Prabhakar and V V S Laxman, said: ''My limitations outnumbered my virtues.''

Sidhu began his Test career in 1983, playing in the Ahmedabad Test against the West Indies, but made his one-day international debut only in 1987, against Australia at Madras, where he scored 73 runs.

Asked about controversies in Indian cricket, he replied: ''No comments!''

His best Test score is 201, against the West Indies in March '97 at Port of Spain, while his highest one-day knock is 134, against England at Manchester in March '93. He scored 4,415 runs from 136 one-day internationals and 3,202 runs from 51 Test matches.

Refusing to comment on the reported match-fixing in the game, he maintained he had never been contacted by any person in this regard.

On the reported indifferences with Mohammad Azharuddin, he said it was all misunderstanding and nothing else. ''We have misunderstandings in our families too,'' he added.

''I faced tough situations on several occasions but never carried those on the crease,'' he said. ''Though I am retiring, I will never take out my feelings in the open to your tricky questions.''

Sidhu declared that he has intentions of becoming a commentator like other cricketers after retirement. He, however, did not rule out the possibility of entering politics and said if he became a politician he would only stick to the Congress as his parents had spent years in the party affairs.

UNI