Nepal batter Sharad Vesawkar has announced his retirement from international cricket. According to the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), Vesawkar will lead the national side in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes, scheduled for November 7–9, which will mark his final international appearance.

Vesawkar began his cricketing journey in 2002 at the U-15 Asia Cup in the UAE. He was part of Nepal’s first-ever first-class, one-day international (ODI), and Twenty20 international (T20I) matches. He made his national team debut in 2004 in Sharjah, scoring an unbeaten half-century against the UAE in the Intercontinental Cup, Nepal’s first first-class fixture.

A key figure in Nepal’s rise from World Cricket League Division 5 to ODI status, Vesawkar is best remembered for his finishing role in Nepal’s historic qualification for the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup. In the 2013 T20 World Cup Qualifiers in the UAE, he hit the winning runs against Hong Kong to send Nepal to their maiden global event. That World Cup match against Hong Kong also marked Nepal’s first official T20I.

Vesawkar was also part of Nepal’s first ODI in 2018 against the Netherlands in Amsterdam. He last played an ODI in 2021 and a T20I in 2022.

The 37-year-old featured for Chitwan Rhinos in last season’s Nepal Premier League, remaining unbeaten in all four matches he played. However, he went unsold in this year’s mini auction.

Under Vesawkar’s captaincy, Sandeep Jora, Adil Alam Ansari, Lokesh Bam, Basir Ahmad, Rashid Khan and Rupesh Singh will represent Nepal at the Hong Kong Sixes.