Lagatar24 Desk
India hockey star Birendra Lakra announced his retirement on Thursday, hours after his teammate Rupinder Pal Singh announced his retirement.
Lakra’s retirement was announced by Hockey India on its official Twitter handle. “A solid defender and one of the most influential Indian Men’s Hockey Team figures, the Odisha star has announced his retirement from the Indian national team. Happy Retirement, Birendra Lakra,” he tweeted.
Lakra wrote on his Instagram that “Over the past few weeks, I have introspected about my journey in hockey. Nothing has given me more joy and pride than to represent my country and wear the Indian Jersey. Now, the time has come for me to move on and allow the next generation of players to experience this great feeling of playing for India. After 201 caps and 11 years, I have decided to retire from the Indian Hockey Team”.
He was one of the star players of the Olympic bronze medal-winning Indian hockey team. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Lakra won a silver medal with India. In Tokyo 2020, he has been selected as vice-captain of the Indian team. In addition to this, he was also part of the 2014 gold medal-winning Incheon Asian Games team and the side that claimed bronze in 2018 Jakarta.
