Sehwag says he was absolutely fine when he was dropped under MSD.
Virender Sehwag and MS Dhoni.
New Delhi: Virender Sehwag said he had no qualms and that he was “absolutely fine” when was dropped from team when M.S. Dhoni was at the helm of affairs.
He went on to mention he had a “good relationship” with current India limited-overs captain M.S. Dhoni despite the media portraying differently. “We had a good relationship. People complained that I didn’t thank him (during his retirement speech) but I thanked all my colleagues. So that includes him.
“We went to London to play a charity game this year and had a good chat. That shows that we are friends because only friends have a chat, or else you mind your own business. We spoke about Indian cricket and strategies and we had a good time,” he told ESPNCricinfo.
After ruling out the thought of reconsidering his decision to retire, Sehwag expressed his delight for the comeback trio Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh and that he would like to see them play for “two or three more years.”
“Thirty-seven is a benchmark for me. Nehra is lucky that his body is so fit. He bowled really well in the IPL and deserved his place in the team. I am really happy for him and Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh. They are just 34 or 35, they can play international cricket for another two to three years, subject to fitness and performance.
“There are no regrets or reconsiderations and I’m happy living the retired life and getting ready for the MCL,” Sehwag was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
Asked if he would have liked to captain India more, Sehwag said, “I did captain India in all three formats. When Rahul (Dravid) resigned, I was not a part of the team. If I had been a part, probably I could have captained for a couple of years. I could have continued had I done well as a captain then, but it is all about opportunities.
“Dhoni was the right guy and he did a great job as captain. The important thing is that we won the World Cup and became the No. 1 Test team, which is what we sought to achieve. You can’t fight with your luck.”
About his future plans, he said, “I would love to be a coach, mentor or a batting consultant. I would love to commentate in Hindi as most people who watch the game are more comfortable with Hindi in India rather than English. If any IPL team wants me to be a mentor or a batting consultant, I would love to do that. I can share my knowledge with the youngsters.”
The spot-fixing scandal in the IPL has rocked the cricketing world like never before, but Sehwag would still bat for the cash-rich T20 event, saying that it was the right platform for youngsters to get noticed.
“If you look at 2000-01, when I joined the team, we took 20 games to get used to international cricket. When I or Yuvraj joined, our game was not great and we took 20-25 games to score 150 or 100. Look at KL Rahul. He went to Australia and got a hundred in his second Test there. That’s the impact IPL has had on a domestic player,” he said.
Virender Sehwag takes a dig at State associations
Former India opener Virender Sehwag, who recently retired from international cricket, has lashed out at selectors who picked players under the influence of “people in power” and at inefficient running of state associations.
Asked if it’s a problem that state associations were not run efficiently, Sehwag, who recently shifted to Haryana from Delhi in domestic cricket, said, “Yes. It’s not just Delhi. There are other associations which have problems.
“You need to change things at U-19 and U-16 level because that’s problem area. If you pick over-age players, it is a problem that needs to be identified. If you have a player whose name and stature is big, you won’t have this problem,” he said PTI.
He said that he cannot become a selector as that could be a ‘conflict of interest’ as he has opened a school where young cricketers would be groomed but would love to be part of a state association in another capacity.
“No, there is a conflict of interest. I have my Sehwag International School (in Haryana). So I cannot be a part of it. I cannot be a selector but if any association wants me to be a part of it, I would love to do that. There are other cricketers who have a reputation but they are not getting the opportunity to be a part of the selection panels. “What is happening is that the guys in power introduce names to the selectors and the selectors then act according to these people’s whims,” he said.
Talking to ESPNcricinfo about the domestic cricket structure, he said the gap between matches should be increased. “I played three seasons and the gap between matches is three or four days. You play eight games in a row and only get three or four days off. You play one-dayers immediately after that and it is not fair on fast bowlers to play back-to-back one-day games. Batsmen and spinners can manage,” he said.
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( Source : agencies )
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