Disappointed that Delhi Daredevils didn't pick me for IPL 2014 - Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag

Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has expressed his deep disappointment over not being picked in the national team as well as the Delhi Daredevils. He has been sidelined due to his poor form.

In an interview with ESPNcricinfo recently, he said, “I am okay with that because that decision on Sehwag was a professional one and not personal. They [Daredevils] wanted to build a team of new players. Yes, I am disappointed a little bit because you know I played six years for Delhi Daredevils. I became an icon player. But things happened and things change.”

Sehwag had a dull domestic season, and said he was disappointed by his poor run of form. “The season was not good for me because we played on green wickets, little damp pitches. I was not able to score big runs (although) I was getting starts and just got one fifty in seven games. It was disappointing. You have to keep fighting. Keep hoping that the next match I play I will score runs. I am just hoping the IPL this year will be good for me,” he said.

For the upcoming IPL season, Sehwag said he didn’t want to play to get back at the selectors and management for dropping him, and instead wanted to focus on winning games for his team. “I don’t have to show to anybody because it is time to play for Virender Sehwag or for Kings XI Punjab. If I perform well people will watch and discuss my name again. But if I go with this mindset that I show to the selectors and management then I don’t think I will be able to perform. Then I will be putting pressure on myself. I played enough matches to show (what I can do) to the people, to the world. It is time to play for myself. It is time to play the IPL well. My job is to win the games for my franchise,” he said.

He also said that for him, scoring runs was more important than the way he scored them. “Style does not matter,” he said. “The important things is how I use my experience to score runs, how I weigh up the conditions, what kind of wicket I am batting on, how I am shaping up are factors that matter more. But style of my play does not matter because if there is a ball to hit I will try to hit it as I have been doing for the last 15 years.”

Having been out of the national side for some time now, Sehwag said that he prays for the team to do well, instead of worrying about him being in the side.

“I keep praying that we will do well and India wins the games rather than be worried about myself. At the end of the day, India winning is what matters rather than being worried about who should play,” he concluded.