By: Drcricket7 Staff
It was March 7, 2013. Almost every newspaper in the country confidently reported on how India’s Virender Sehwag, who was going through the worst phase of his career with the bat, would somehow manage to retain his place in the Test team during the Australian tour at home.
By afternoon, it turned out to be something else. Sehwag had failed to retain his place for the remaining two Test matches. The squad was further trimmed to 14 with the selectors deciding against picking a replacement for Sehwag, who had scored just 27 runs in his three innings during the Australian tour at home.
Not many had the inkling that the second Test match in Hyderabad would be his last and there won’t be any sign of Virender Sehwag in international cricket in days to come. Last year, a north zone selector did try to revive his Test career by forcefully putting his name in a zonal match, wherein he failed to deliver.
The Delhi dasher had lost his hand-eye co-ordination, which made him the most destructive opener in world cricket. He did manage to show his greatness in flashes before the selection for the Australian tour happened, but the old sublime touch of Sehwag was nowhere to be found.
As if, he was lost forever. He still continued to play for the Delhi Ranji Trophy team and also opened the innings for the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, but he wasn’t the same batsman.
Therefore on Monday when the news trickled down the micro blogging site Twitter that Sehwag is retiring from international cricket, several reactions from cricket world poured in. They all congratulated the great cricketer for a great career.
However within minutes, the Delhi born cricketer clarified that he is yet to announce his international retirement officially. At a function in Dubai to inaugurate the Master Champions League, he had only hinted of hanging his boot before playing the T20 league involving some of the other greats.
In fact, days before this Dubai function happened, Drcricket7 had posed a question to one of the board officials: Will India ever see Sehwag playing international cricket again? “Not really,” he had replied. Even Sehwag must have got this message long ago from the establishment. Today, he may have delayed the official announcement to end his illustrious international career, but tomorrow he will eventually do it. And that day will be a very sad day for cricket.
Those who have seen Sehwag play will tell you how he won big matches with his big heart. He was someone who would inevitably get to a three figure mark after scoring a half-century. During the time Sehwag batted and won matches for India, he was considered to be the most feared batsman in the world. No one came close to him. Not even a great like Sachin Tendulkar.
The fact that India stopped winning Test matches away from home had something to do with Sehwag’s loss of form. Even today, India still haven’t managed to find a talent who can match Sehwag.
To be honest, there is no one like him in any state of India. Sehwag has always been a special player and whether he bows out of international cricket today or tomorrow, he will always be remembered as one the most extraordinary cricketers of our generation. That is because God created Sehwag!
