Former Indian opener, Virender Sehwag is one such player in the Indian cricketing history who will always be known for his attacking batting approach. No matter how the bowlers were, he always preferred to keep on tackling them all – just smash! To date, he is considered one of the most destructive openers to have ever represented the country in international cricket. Back in 2015, Sehwag announced his retirement from international cricket with over 16000 runs to his credit and more than 130 international wickets.
But there was a time in his career when the ‘Nawab of Najafgarh’ had thought of quitting cricket. During a recent interaction with Cricbuzz, Virender Sehwag recalled he wanted to retire from the ODIs during the Australia tour in 2008 as he was dropped for a few gams by then skipper MS Dhoni.
ALSO READ: Sunil Gavaskar Feels Hardik And Pant Can Be Explosive Finishers For India
Virender Sehwag elaborated, “In 2008 when we were in Australia, this question (of retirement) came to my mind. I made a comeback in the Test series, and scored a 150. In the ODIs, I couldn’t score that much in three-four attempts. So, MS Dhoni dropped me from the playing XI then the thought of quitting ODI cricket came to my mind. I thought I will continue playing only Test cricket.”
The former batsman further stated that legendary Indian cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar stopped him from drawing curtains on his career.
Virender Sehwag said, “Sachin Tendulkar stopped me at that time. He said ‘this is a bad phase of your life. Just wait, go back home after this tour, think hard, and then decide what to do next. Luckily, I didn’t announce my retirement at that time.”
ALSO READ: Sourav Ganguly Announces Resigning As The BCCI President?
Back in 2008 when India toured Australia, Virender Sehwag had made a great comeback in the Test squad after a long break. He played under the leadership of Anil Kumble and found himself among runs. But in the following limited-overs series, a tri-nation CB series featuring India, Australia, and Sri Lanka, he got to play only 5 out 10 matches. He scored 6, 33, 11 and 14 in the first four games after which he was dropped from the playing XI.
