Ex Cricketer Virender Sehwag admits he was ‘hurt’ when dropped ‘without any communication from selectors’

#NewDelhi:  #Mumbai  Legendary opener Virender Sehwag admitted that he was “hurt” after being dropped in the middle of the 2013 Test series against Australia without any “communication from team management or selectors.”

#VerendraSehwag was dropped after the second Test against Australia in Hyderabad but the ‘Nawab of Najafgarh’ felt that selectors should have given him an option to play two more Tests and retire in an India jersey.

Virender Sehwag called time on a glittering international career. Reuters
“I hadn’t scored runs in two Tests against Australia. So, I was thinking I would get a couple of more opportunities to perform well in the last two Tests (of the series) and then get dropped if I didn’t perform. If the selectors would have given me that option to play two more Tests and say that you play the two matches and then retire, I would have thought about it,” #VirenderSehwag told ESPNCricinfo

Asked if the communication was lacking from BCCI and team management’s end,Virender Sehwag agreed.

“Absolutely, nobody called me from the team management, selectors or BCCI. I got to know about it from newspaper, that hurt me then but I am fine with it now,” #VirenderSehwag said.

During his last three seasons in first-class cricket,Virender Sehwag batted in the middle-order, something that he wanted in the Indian team but was denied.

“I told the management (about wanting to bat lower down) but they felt that I was still good enough to play as an opener and they didn’t want to take chances with the opening pair. I tried my best but could not get an opportunity in the middle order,” he said.

“When I played my last series, Sachin   Tendulkar was still there, Virat  Kohli and MS  Dhoni were there. Cheteshwar  Pujara was playing as the No. 3 batsman. #SachinTendulkar was playing at 4, #ViratKohli at 5 and it meant that I had to bat at No. 6 after SachinTendulkar as you could not ask him to bat at No 3 or 5. So, there was no chance for me to bat in the middle order.”

#VirenderSehwag however did not make any bones about the fact that he had a horrible next season for Delhi just after getting dropped and that effectively ended his chances of a comeback.

“When I got dropped, I was thinking that I’m a good player and can get back into the Indian team but I was still living in the mindset that I am an aggressive opener and can score runs but I did not realise that domestic cricket is totally different to international cricket and I was still playing in the same way,” he Virender Sehwag  said.

“I did not score runs that (2013-14) season and my highest was 50-odd (56) and I was struggling to cope up with conditions in Delhi. I then changed my thinking next year and batting style by giving myself a little more time and I scored 500 plus runs, but I needed to score big in the previous season and maybe I would have got back into the team. It was too late but I was playing because I wanted to play the game.”
PTI