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Virender Sehwag had a stellar outing in the 2011 ODI World Cup, playing a crucial hand in India winning the showpiece event after 28 years. But did you know that Sehwag could have pulled the plug on his ODI career long before the multi-team tournament?
In a recent interview, Sehwag revealed that he almost ‘retired’ from the 50-over format after he was left out of the 2007-08 Commonwealth Bank series in Australia. The former Indian opener also revealed that MS Dhoni had a major role to play in the ‘almost’ early retirement, as he was the captain of the Indian team back then.
"In the 2007-08 series against Australia, I played the first three matches 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 told Padamjeet Sehrawat.
However, Sachin Tendulkar’s timely intervention meant that Sehwag carried on playing the 50-over format. As it turned out, Sehwag sizzled in the tournament, smashing a century in India’s opening fixture against Bangladesh, and made folklore by scoring a four off the first ball of the match in almost every match.
"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.’, he added.
“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," said Sehwag.
Sehwag went on to play ODI cricket till 2013, and even smashed a 219 against West Indies in Indore in 2011, a clash in which he captained the Indian side.