Virender Sehwag dismisses retirement speculation
One of India’s greatest cricketers, Virender Sehwag, on Monday dismissed speculation of his imminent retirement. When contacted by The Indian Express, Sehwag texted saying: “Not yet.”
Earlier today, reports had emerged that he would draw curtains on his international career following his presence at the inauguration of the Masters Champions League 2020 in Dubai on Monday. The speculation arose as only retired cricketers can play in the MCL — which will be played next year.
A day before his 37th birthday, Sehwag was at the launch ceremony of the veterans 2020 league in Dubai.
When Sehwag, who was present alongside Brian Lara, Graeme Smith and Azhar Mahmood at the launch, was asked how he could play as MCL is a retired cricketers’ league, Sehwag said, “If I am not retired I will not play. I will go back to India and announce my retirement.”
MCL is supposed to be played in February next year, which means that Sehwag will complete his Ranji Trophy commitments with Haryana before joining the veterans’ league. In a glorious international career spanning over 12 years, Sehwag played 104 Tests scoring 8,586 runs at an impressive average of 49.34, hitting 23 centuries and 32 half-centuries.
He is the only triple centurion in Tests for India having scored career-best knock of 319 against Pakistan at Multan, which also is an Indian record. He is also one of those rare batsmen to have scored two triple ton with his next one (309) coming against South Africa. In 251 ODIs, he accumulated 8273 runs at an average of 35.05 and scored 15 hundreds apart from hitting 38 fifties.
In 19 Twenty20 Internationals, he managed 394 runs with two half-centuries. –PTI inputs
