New Delhi: Virender Sehwag, who had been Sachin Tendulkar’s opening partner in ODI’S for a long time now, said that he missed the epic moment when Sachin scored his 100th international century. “I missed being in the dressing room when Tendulkar scored that 100th century.”
Sehwag also heaped praise on the sensational Virat Kohli, who is being performing extra-ordinarily, and said that there is no doubt about Virat’s ability and he has proved it to every bit. “He is a brilliant player. He has hit 11 (ODI) centuries and has not even played 100 matches. He has proved it and no amount of praise would be enough for him,” added the Daredevils’ skipper.
The swashbuckling Indian Opener also made it clear that retirement is definitely not on his mind and squashed the notion that age is a determining factor as to when a player should bid goodbye to the game.
“I definitely think age should not play a role in determining as to when a player should retire. For me a player should play as long as he thinks he is fit and is able to contribute for the team’s cause. The day when a player thinks that he is not enjoying his game anymore or he is not able to contribute towards his team success, he should retire. Playing cricket is not like a government job and does not have a fixed age of retirement,” said Sehwag at the sidelines of the Hindi Website launch of Delhi Daredevils.
Sehwag, who was not the part of the Indian squad for the Asia Cup due to an injury, had all his support out for India who is going through a rough patch. The Men In Blue could not make it to the finals of CB or Asia Cup, but Sehwag said that it is normal for a team to go through a phase like this and cited the example of England who after playing phenomenal against India lost 3-0 in Dubai against Pakistan. “It is normal and nowadays. All the countries bank on home conditions and the host nation does prepare a pitch according to their strength. So there is nothing to worry about,” he added.
Talking about India’s performance about India in Asia Cup, he said “We did not play bad and we defeated Sri Lanka and Pakistan. It is just that Bangladesh played well and defeated us to rightfully make it to the finals.”
Meanwhile talking about IPL, he said he is fit now and is looking forward to play in the IPL. He said that he is happy with his team composition and thanked the team management for choosing a team according to his choice. “I have got my first preference, happy to have a strong team.”
He said that though his team boasts of some of the biggest hitters of the game, he would not change his batting style and it is an honour for him to be a part of team which has players who have captained their national side. “It’s an honour to be playing with the other players who have captained their countries. They can always give me suggestions. So it feels great to be playing with Mahela, Kevin and Ross Taylor.”
Commenting on his team’s target in the upcoming IPL he said, “No one can set a target. We will try to play good cricket, give our 100 per cent. The most important thing, to start with, is to make the play—offs. From there on we will think. The first 2—3 games are very important, and then we take it forward. Some players like Mahela, Kevin and Warner will not be available for the first few games, so we will have to really play well.”
By Samikshan Dutta Choudhury
Indian Sports News
