Viru-Dhoni Saga Reignites After 17 Years As Sehwag Recalls MS Dropping Him In 2008 Forcing Him To Early Retirement
Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has made a startling disclosure about his career, revealing that he came close to retiring from One Day Internationals (ODIs) well before the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. The trigger for this thought, according to Sehwag, was his extended absence from the playing XI under then-captain MS Dhoni. However, timely guidance from his opening partner and close friend Sachin Tendulkar proved to be a turning point.
Sehwag recalled the 2007-08 Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia, a tri-nation tournament featuring India, Australia, and Sri Lanka where he featured in the first five completed matches. Unfortunately, he endured a poor run, amassing only 81 runs at an average of 16.20, with a top score of 33. His struggles resulted in Dhoni leaving him out of the side for the last three league matches. Ultimately, India clinched the tri-series title, with Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar dominating the batting charts. This period cast serious doubt over Sehwag’s future in ODIs.
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Speaking on Padamjeet Sehrawat’s YouTube channel, Sehwag said:
“In the 2007-08 series in Australia, I played the first three (five) 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. 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.’ 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.”
Inspired by Tendulkar’s words, Sehwag bounced back in the Kitply Cup later that same year, scoring 150 runs in three matches. Over time, consistent performances earned him back his opening slot alongside Tendulkar in the 2011 World Cup, where India emerged champions. Sehwag eventually retired in 2015, leaving behind an illustrious record: 251 ODIs, 8,273 runs, 15 centuries, and a personal best of 219 which at the time stood as the highest individual score in ODI history. If Sehwag had retired in 2008, he would have missed the chance of being a World Champion in 2011 and being an ODI double centurion in 2012.
