New Delhi: Sidelined India batsman
Virender Sehwag has ruled out the
possibility of retiring from cricket and
has expressed his insistence on playing
for "at least the next two years."
Sehwag was dropped from the World
Cup 30-member preliminary squad
following a prolonged form slump. The
right-handed batsman said he was still
keen to play competitive cricket and
has no imminent plans of quitting the
game.
"I am still playing. And till the time I
continue to play, I am not thinking
about anything else. I will not consider
quitting till I have the desire to play,"
the right-handed batsman said on the
sidelines of a press conference after
being unveiled as a judge of cricket
commentary for a radio channel on
Monday.
"No. I am not thinking about retiring. At
least not for the next two years. Am
only thinking about my game at the
moment."
But he has made peace with the fact
that he won't be part of the World Cup
team in 2015. Sehwag was among five
integral players of the 2011-Cup
winning team who were dropped from
the 30-member preliminary squad for
this year's edition starting Feb 14.
He, however, wished luck to the team
selected for defending the Cup saying it
has got a strong chance of reaching
the semifinals.
"From there it depends on how the
team plays in that particular match.
The youngsters in the team are good.
We have a good batting line-up."
The 36-year-old also dismissed views
that India's trying Australia tour, in
which they lost the four-match Test
series 0-2 and failed to qualify for the
final of the tri-series also involving
England, would have any negative
effect on the team's title defence.
"No effect on current form would fall in
the World Cup, especially for batsmen.
The team would try to produce their
best irrespective of the form.
"In the 2003 Cup in South Africa, not
many gave us a fighting chance of
playing well, but we managed to reach
the final. We are still the defending
champions. In cricket up and down in
form happens. The players don't worry
about it too much. They focus on their
performance because they need to play
well even after the World Cup to remain
in the team."
The destructive batsman also said that
the different nature of the pitches in
Australia would play a part in
determining the outcome of the
tournament.
He noted that the new field restrictions
of having to keep five players within the
30-yard circle would make life difficult
for India's part-time bowlers.
"Effects of different nature of wickets
would be felt by teams. Earlier it was
mandatory to keep only four fielders
within the 30-yard circle. But now you
need to keep five players. The new five-
man rule would be a disadvantage for
India. Due to this stipulation, the all-
rounders' role would be crucial," he
opined.
Virender Sehwag vows to continue his comeback fight for two years-cricketnextNews - IBNLive Mobile
Virender Sehwag has ruled out the
possibility of retiring from cricket and
has expressed his insistence on playing
for "at least the next two years."
Sehwag was dropped from the World
Cup 30-member preliminary squad
following a prolonged form slump. The
right-handed batsman said he was still
keen to play competitive cricket and
has no imminent plans of quitting the
game.
"I am still playing. And till the time I
continue to play, I am not thinking
about anything else. I will not consider
quitting till I have the desire to play,"
the right-handed batsman said on the
sidelines of a press conference after
being unveiled as a judge of cricket
commentary for a radio channel on
Monday.
"No. I am not thinking about retiring. At
least not for the next two years. Am
only thinking about my game at the
moment."
But he has made peace with the fact
that he won't be part of the World Cup
team in 2015. Sehwag was among five
integral players of the 2011-Cup
winning team who were dropped from
the 30-member preliminary squad for
this year's edition starting Feb 14.
He, however, wished luck to the team
selected for defending the Cup saying it
has got a strong chance of reaching
the semifinals.
"From there it depends on how the
team plays in that particular match.
The youngsters in the team are good.
We have a good batting line-up."
The 36-year-old also dismissed views
that India's trying Australia tour, in
which they lost the four-match Test
series 0-2 and failed to qualify for the
final of the tri-series also involving
England, would have any negative
effect on the team's title defence.
"No effect on current form would fall in
the World Cup, especially for batsmen.
The team would try to produce their
best irrespective of the form.
"In the 2003 Cup in South Africa, not
many gave us a fighting chance of
playing well, but we managed to reach
the final. We are still the defending
champions. In cricket up and down in
form happens. The players don't worry
about it too much. They focus on their
performance because they need to play
well even after the World Cup to remain
in the team."
The destructive batsman also said that
the different nature of the pitches in
Australia would play a part in
determining the outcome of the
tournament.
He noted that the new field restrictions
of having to keep five players within the
30-yard circle would make life difficult
for India's part-time bowlers.
"Effects of different nature of wickets
would be felt by teams. Earlier it was
mandatory to keep only four fielders
within the 30-yard circle. But now you
need to keep five players. The new five-
man rule would be a disadvantage for
India. Due to this stipulation, the all-
rounders' role would be crucial," he
opined.
Virender Sehwag vows to continue his comeback fight for two years-cricketnextNews - IBNLive Mobile
