Legendary Indian opener Virender Sehwag lately made a surprising revelation about his profession, that he as soon as critically thought of retiring from ODIs nicely earlier than the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. The rationale for the early retirement was a protracted exclusion from the enjoying XI underneath then-captain MS Dhoni. Nevertheless, Sehwag identified that recommendation from his shut good friend and batting accomplice, Sachin Tendulkar, modified his profession.
The episode dates again to the 2007-08 Commonwealth Financial institution Sequence in Australia, a tri-nation match involving India, Australia, and Sri Lanka. Sehwag performed the primary 5 accomplished matches of the collection however struggled for type, scoring simply 81 runs at a mean of 16.20, with a highest rating of 33.
His lean patch led to Dhoni dropping him from the final three league video games. India went on to win the tri-series, with Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar main the batting charts. Following the historic win, Sehwag’s place within the staff and future within the format had been in query.
“Within the 2007-08 collection in Australia, I performed the primary three (5) matches after which MS Dhoni dropped me from the aspect. I wasn’t picked for some time after that. Then I felt that if I can’t be part of the enjoying XI, then there was no level in my enjoying ODI cricket. Then I went to Tendulkar and stated, ‘I’m considering of retiring from ODIs’. He stated, ‘No, I went by way of an analogous section in 1999-2000, the place I felt I ought to go away cricket. However that section got here and went. So, you’re going by way of a trough, however it should go. Don’t make any resolution if you find yourself emotional. Give your self a while and 1-2 collection, after which take a name.’ When that collection ended, I performed within the subsequent collection and made a variety of runs. I performed the 2011 World Cup and we gained the World Cup as nicely,” Sehwag stated on Padamjeet Sehrawat’s YouTube channel.
After listening to this recommendation, Sehwag received again his type within the Kitply Cup later that yr by scoring 150 runs in three matches, and went on a constant run that ultimately noticed him open for India within the 2011 World Cup, which the Males in Blue gained. Sehwag ultimately retired in 2015 with an illustrious ODI file. In 251 matches, he hammered 8,273 runs, scoring 15 centuries, and a highest rating of 219, then the best particular person rating in ODIs.