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Saturday 31 October 2015

Sad that I did not get a farewell match : Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag says he will feel the sadness of not getting a farewell game.
The India Opener Virender Sehwag, who recently called time on his glorious international cricket career, said the sadness of being deprived of a farewell game will always remain in his mind. The explosive batsman, who scored 23 Test centuries and 15 tons in ODIs, said any player who has represented the country for a long period deserves a farewell.


Sad that I did not get a farewell match : Virender Sehwag


"Had the selectors told me that they were going to drop me, I could have requested them to allow me to play my last Test in Delhi and then announce my retirement, but they did not give me that opportunity. A sort of sadness shall always remain in my mind that I was not allowed to retire while playing, but anyway, it's all a part of life for a sportsman, who, while playing, never realises when he should retire, but he starts thinking about it when he is dropped," Sehwag told India TV.

On organisers planning to give him a farewell during the Test between India and South Africa in Delhi starting December 3, Sehwag said: "If that is so, it will be good. If BCCI cannot organise, at least DDCA should do. It's not a question of me alone, every player who retires should get a farewell."

The 37-year-old further said, "Had India played two more Test series against Pakistan, I could have completed 10,000 Test runs. I have made 8,586 Test runs. We stopped playing home series or away series against Pakistan since 2006. If you see my batting averages, particularly against Pakistan, you will find my batting averages between 90 and 100."

Asked why he had been prolific in his performances particularly against Pakistan, Sehwag said, "It's because of rivalry between both countries in sports. The grounds are always full, and the expectations among fans are high. This is because Pakistan was earlier a part of undivided India, that's why the rivalry is big and everybody becomes excited." The former opener said there should be fixed criteria for selection of players, whether senior or junior. "If a player fails to perform in four or five consecutive matches, he should be dropped irrespective of whether he is a senior or a junior player," he said.

Sehwag recounted an incident involving retired Australian cricketer Michael Clarke. "Sachin and I were batting in Australia. Michael Clarke had been inducted fresh. He was frequently telling Sachin 'you're too old, you can't field, you can't do this, you can't do that'. I went up to Clarke and asked his age. He said, 23. I told him 'Tendulkar has made more centuries than your age'."

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