Sri Lanka's batting great Kumar Sangakkara on Saturday ended speculation about his future, saying he will retire during the home series against India in August.

"This is my time to call it a day," Sangakkara, 37, told reporters on the sidelines of the second Test against Pakistan.

The left-hander said he will play two of the three Tests against India that will take place in Sri Lanka in August. He also said he will skip the third and final Test of the ongoing series against Pakistan.

"I wanted to retire after the World Cup, but was requested by the selectors to stay on," he said. "I agreed to play four more Tests. I will honour that agreement."

"I don't want to extend my career for individual records. This is the time to go.

"I am going to miss playing for Sri Lanka a lot," he said. "I had the time of my life playing for Sri Lanka. I enjoyed playing every format but donning whites for Sri Lanka has been special.

"I can walk away happy that good days outweigh the disappointments."

Sangakkara dismissed the idea of becoming a coach after retirement with a laugh saying he would "make a bad coach".

"I don't know if I will have the patience for that," he added.