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Despite a poor run in domestic cricket the dashing opener believes he is in contention for a place among India's 30 probables for next year’s World Cup. Harish Kotian reports.
In his prime, Virender Sehwag was a batsman most-feared by bowlers worldwide. The only player in world cricket to achieve the rare double of a triple century in Tests and a double in One-Day Internationals, he was a match-winner in his heyday.
His batting prowess, however, witnessed a downslide over the last few years and it’s now nearly two years since he last turned out in India colours.
Even in domestic cricket he is struggling to reproduce the old magic for Delhi, resulting in murmurs about him preparing to hang up his boots.
Nevertheless, the dashing opener still harbours hope of a comeback; he believes he is in contention for a place among India’s 30 probables for next year’s World Cup.
“I am still hopeful that my name would figure in the 30 probables for the World Cup. Every player who represents the country dreams of playing in the World Cup. I also still dream of playing in it,” he said, in Mumbai on Tuesday, at the launch of the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy tour in India.
Sehwag’s dip in form coincided with the rise in a number of young batsmen, including the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma, doing well in international cricket in the last year or so.
History, though, is in the 36-year-old Delhi batsman’s favour. In a similar scenario before the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, Dilip Vengsarkar, the then chairman of selectors, recalled Sehwag to the squad despite him struggling to score runs.
Asked if he is hopeful of something similar happening this time around too, he was optimistic.
“You never know, good things happen!”
Sehwag, whose last ODI was against Pakistan in January 2013, played a key role in India’s World Cup triumph in 2011. He aggregated 380 runs from eight matches, including a century and fifty, at an amazing strike rate of 122. After being dropped last year he found the going tough in domestic cricket. A 68-ball 80 for Delhi was only his second half-century in his last 10 innings.
Sehwag opted out of the Deodhar Trophy, the zonal One-Day tournament, saying he would not like to block the road of promising youngsters, but made it clear that he would be part of Delhi’s squad for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season, which starts on December 7.
“I am playing first class cricket and looking to score as many runs as I can. Last year I scored around 250 runs and, hopefully, this year I can score more. I hope that I can score runs and get back into the side.”
Asked if he would change his approach following his below-par showing in domestic cricket, he replied: “I feel that I should stick to my game. I don’t think anyone else will understand my game better than me. I always try to stick to the type of game I understand and play. Everybody is free to voice their opinion, but at the end of the day the player himself knows where he made a mistake in his batting and how to score runs.”
Considered one of India’s best batsmen in One-Day Internationals, having scored 8273 runs in 251 matches, including 15 centuries and 38 fifties, at a strike rate of 104, he is confident of regaining his scoring touch in the domestic circuit without having to sacrifice his aggressive approach.
“Whenever I score runs, whether it’s Tests or ODIs, my strike rate is almost 100. My approach is that if the ball is there to be hit, I make sure I hit it. It does not matter what format I play. Sometimes the quality of bowling is good and if you try to score runs by hitting boundaries you make a mistake and lose your wicket. Hopefully, you will see me scoring big runs with a good strike rate.”
Though much of his success for India has come as an opener, he is looking to bat in the middle order for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy.
“I have opened the batting, one down, two down, three down, four down also. I am hoping I can score runs; it doesn’t matter where I bat. It is important for me to score runs… that I watch the ball till the end and if it is in my zone then try to hit it rather than play cautiously. This year I am hoping to bat at No. 3 and No. 4 for Delhi.”
He also reasoned why he’s not in the news of late.
“The first class season is round the corner. The first Ranji match will start on December 7 and we, the Delhi team, are practicing for it. Recently, we played a One-Day tournament in Himachal and then we played the knockout games in Rajkot. We are busy playing first cricket, but because I am not scoring runs nobody is noticing me.”