The India batsman Rahul Dravid has announced his retirement from international and domestic first-class cricket. The 39-year-old retired from one-day internationals last year and has now taken his leave from the longer form of the game, though he is still due to captain the Rajasthan Royals in this year's Indian Premier League.

"It has been 16 years since I first played a Test match for India, and I feel it's time for me to move on," he said.

Dravid scored 13,288 runs in his 164 Tests, a total bettered only by his long-time India team-mate Sachin Tendulkar, and added another 10,889 in 344 one-day internationals.

His reassuring presence has anchored the largely flamboyant Indian top order, while his selfless approach has seen him serve in unfavoured roles as an opening batsman and even a wicketkeeper for the good of the team.

"My approach to cricket has been reasonably simple: it was about giving everything to the team, it was about playing with dignity, and it was about upholding the spirit of the game," he said. "I hope I have done some of that. I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying. It is why I leave with sadness but also with pride.

"Once I was like every other boy in India, with a dream of playing for my country. Yet I could never have imagined a journey so long and so fulfilling. I have had a wonderful time, but now it is time for a new generation of young players to make their own history and take the Indian cricket team even further."

Affectionately known as "The Wall", Dravid has played his part in a golden era of Indian cricket alongside Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman in a stellar batting line-up.

"I was fortunate to be part of a wonderful era when India played some of its finest cricket at home and abroad," he said. "Many of my team-mates have become legends, not just in India but in the wider cricketing world. I admired them, learned from them and I leave the game with wonderful memories and strong friendships. It is a great gift to have.

"I would like to thank the Indian cricket fans, both here and across the world. The game is lucky to have you and I have been lucky to play before you. To represent India, and thus to represent you, has been a privilege and one which I have always taken seriously."

A devoted family man, he added: "My wife, Vijeeta, has been a remarkable partner in my journey. She has made sacrifices in her own career and has almost been a single parent bringing up our children alone as I travelled abroad to play.

"Being away from my family became harder and harder through the years and I look forward now to spending time at home and doing the simple things, like just taking my sons to school."