Ravi Teja, who played for Hyderabad, Andhra and Meghalaya, announces his First-Class retirement

Ravi Teja on Friday announced his retirement from First-Class cricket. The 34-year-old made his Ranji Trophy debut for Hyderabad against Maharashtra at Karad in 2006. He scored 84 in the only innings of the match. His last match was for Meghalaya earlier this month against Gujarat at Rajkot. Teja rounded off his career with a century (133) in the second innings of the match. In between, Ravi Teja had played for Andhra. "After having a long and fulfilling career in this wonderful game of cricket, I have decided to retire from First Class cricket and move ahead in a different direction in my career," he posted on social media.

As an opening batsman, Ravi Teja was a regular in the Indian Under-19 setup before enjoying a prolific second Ranji season with Hyderabad. He topped the run charts with 653 runs at an average of close to 60 and that pushed his selection for the Deccan Chargers in the inaugural IPL and a fringe Indian squad for a short tour of Israel. Ravi Teja played 78 First Class matches and scored 4722 runs with an unbeaten 204 as his highest. He struck 12 centuries and 22 half-centuries at an average of 41.06. He also played 85 List A games and scored 2942 runs and 89 T20 matches with 1618 runs to his credit. "I would like to thank BCCI for giving me the opportunity to represent India U-19 and India A teams which have been the highlight of my career and which has been an honour and something I would always be proud of," he said and added," I am grateful to Deccan Chargers and Sunrisers Hyderabad for all their support. IPL has surely been really a lot of fun, exciting and thrilling. It has been absolutely fantastic to learn from the legends." In his more than a decade long career, Ravi Teja turned up for three