Sehwag played the first three matches of the tri-series involving India, Australia, and Sri Lanka. Then, he was dropped from the playing XI. (Photo: Social Media)
Former India opener Virender Sehwag has revealed a career-defining moment when he almost quit one-day internationals. The swashbuckling opener said the thought came during the 2007-08 Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia, under MS Dhoni’s captaincy.
Sehwag played the first three matches of the tri-series involving India, Australia, and Sri Lanka. Then, he was dropped from the playing XI.
"In the 2007-08 series, when we were in Australia, I played the first three matches of the Commonwealth Bank Series, and then MS Dhoni dropped me from the side. I wasn't picked for a while after that. Then I felt that if I can't be a part of the playing XI, then there was no point in my playing ODI cricket," Sehwag said on Padamjeet Sehrawat's YouTube channel.
Feeling disheartened, Sehwag approached Sachin Tendulkar to discuss retirement.
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"Then I went to Tendulkar and said, 'I am thinking of retiring from ODIs'. He said, 'No, I went through a similar phase in 1999-2000, where I felt I should leave cricket. But that phase came and went. So, you are going through a trough, but it will pass. Don't make any decision when you are emotional. Give yourself some time and 1-2 series, and then take a call.' When that series ended, I played in the next series and made a lot of runs. I played the 2011 World Cup and we won the World Cup as well," Sehwag recalled.
Sehwag heeded the counsel, got back to his best, and went on to contribute significantly to India's World Cup victory in 2011. India's success in limited-overs cricket was largely attributed to its ability to overpower bowlers at the top of the order. Sehwag’s Remarkable Career
Sehwag made his ODI debut in 1999 against Pakistan and his Test debut in 2001 against South Africa. He remains the only Indian to have scored two triple centuries in Test cricket.
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In ODIs, he holds a double century — 219 runs against the West Indies in 2011. Across 104 Tests, he scored 8586 runs at an average of 49.34, with 23 centuries and 32 half-centuries.
In 251 ODIs, Sehwag amassed 8273 runs at a strike rate of over 104, including 15 hundreds and 38 fifties.
His consistency earned him the ICC Test Player of the Year award in 2010, when he scored 1282 runs in 10 Tests, including six centuries.
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