Virender Sehwag Makes Big Revelation; Confesses Wanted to Retire After MS Dhoni Dropped Him, But Sachin Tendulkar Changed His Mind

Mumbai: It is no secret that Virender Sehwag is arguably the biggest Sachin Tendulkar fan. In a recent conversation on Cricbuzz, Sehwag revealed there came a point in his career when he wanted to quit ODI cricket after MS Dhoni dropped him in 2008 during the tour of Australia. But then there was a change of mind as he continued to play on. The dashing opener credited Sachin Tendulkar for changing his mind.

“In 2008 when we were in Australia, this question (of retirement) came to my mind. I made a comeback in the Test series, scored a 150. In the ODIs, I couldn’t score that much in three-four attempts. So MS Dhoni dropped me from the playing XI then the thought of quitting ODI cricket came to my mind. I thought I will continue playing only Test cricket,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz show ‘Match Party.’

“Sachin Tendulkar stopped me at that time. He said ‘this is a bad phase of your life. Just wait, go back home after this tour, think hard and then decide what to do next’. Luckily I didn’t announce my retirement at that time,” he added.

Three years later, Sehwag went on to feature in the 2011 World Cup which India won. Sehwag was a key member of the squad.

Meanwhile, Dhoni continues to play the IPL for Chennai Super Kings. This year was not one of their best as they could not even qualify for the playoffs. On the other hand, Sachin and Sehwag have turned experts.