New Delhi, Oct 20 (PTI): The flamboyant Virender Sehwag, one of the world's most destructive batsmen to have played the game, announced his retirement on Tuesday from international cricket and the Indian Premier League, bringing an end to an illustrious career spanning 14 years.

Sehwag had already hinted about his imminent retirement at a function in Dubai on Monday and chose his 37th birthday on Tuesday to put an end to his amazing career and said he was grateful to have done things his way.

”I have always done what I felt was right and not what conformists thought to be right. God has been kind and I have done what I wanted to do -- on the field and in my life. And I had decided some time back that I will retire on my 37th birthday. So today, while I spend my day with my family, I hereby announce my retirement from all forms of International Cricket and from the Indian Premier League,” Sehwag said in a statement.

In an international career spanning 14 years, Sehwag played 104 Tests scoring 8586 runs at an impressive average of 49.34, hitting 23 centuries and 32 half-centuries.

He is the only triple centurion in Tests for India having scored a career-best knock of 319 against Pakistan at Multan, which also is an Indian record. He is also one of those rare batsmen to have scored two triple tons with his next one (309) coming against South Africa.

In 251 ODIs, he accumulated 8273 runs at an average of 35.05 and scored 15 hundreds apart from hitting 38 fifties.

The decision to retire comes after Sehwag signed up to play in the next year's Masters Champions League 2020, where only retired cricketers can play.

Nicknamed the Nawab of Najafgarh, Sehwag thanked his family and early coaches for grooming the swashbuckler that he went on to become.

Sehwag said he would now look to spend more time at the school he founded in Jhajjar.