New Delhi: Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has today announced his retirement from ODI cricket bringing curtains on his 23 year old career.

"I have decided to retire from the One-Day format of the game. I feel blessed to have fulfilled the dream of being part of a World Cup wining Indian team. The preparatory process to defend the World Cup in 2015 should begin early and in right earnest," the 39-year-old said in a statement released by the BCCI today.

"I would like to wish the team all the very best for the future. I am eternally grateful to all my well wishers for their unconditional support and love over the years," he added.

Tendulkar, considered as the best batsman to have ever played the game retires with numerousrecords to his name .

The master blaster in his career spanning for over more than two decades has scored18,426 runs in 463 one-dayers including 49 hundreds. He retires at the batsman with highest run getter and with most number of centuries. He is in fact the first batsman to score 200 in ODI cricket.

Sachin who earlier decided not to play T20 cricket will now be available only in the longer format of the game.

By Indian Sports News Network