On Thursday, three individuals were arrested in Kanpur, who were supposedly running a betting racket from the same hotel where Gujarat Lions and Delhi Daredevils were holed up. The hotel in question is the Landmark Hotel. Two-time triple centurion, Virender Sehwag who is currently in Mumbai, spoke at length about the situation.
“You can’t stop all these things. It’s the player’s responsibility, who he brings into the team hotel. If I feel like, I can meet anyone. You can deploy as much security as you want. They can’t do anything if the player wishes to do something”.
Sehwag suggested that such illegal activities can never be stopped. But he advised the players on some do’s and don’ts, especially when staying in a hotel where outsiders can easily approach the players in places like the hotel lobby.
“Tomorrow if someone says anything about me, If I was playing I would have retired and asked all my records to be erased. I don’t know how many strangers I have met in team hotels. If my friend or relative is coming to meet me, I’ll make sure only he/she comes and not their friend as well”, he stated.
“The game is such that it gives you a lot. If you tarnish your image, you will also lose respect. People in this country love cricket, if someone does anything wrong in the game, they will always be sidelined”, he added.
Despite having retired from all forms of the game in 2013, Virender Sehwag continues to display his explosive form - replacing the bat with Twitter as his medium of expression. A couple of days back, he sent out a tweet, firing shots against certain sections of the media.
The coach of the Kings XI Punjab, Sehwag’s dig at the press seemed expected to some extent. The side from Mohali has never been considered as a team to be reckoned with and with the side from North India managing to get past the league stage only twice in their history there is much reason for the same.
However, this year, every time they’ve looked like bidding their final goodbye, Sehwag’s side have managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat. With four sides contesting the remaining three playoff spots, the former Indian opener is pragmatic about his side’s chances of qualifying.
“Our qualification depends on other teams. If Pune or Hyderabad lose then we have a chance, plus we also have to maintain our run rate. We can beat KKR on run rate”, he told reporters at an even organised by 92.7 BIG FM in Mumbai.
Kings XI Punjab finished at the bottom of the points table in the last two seasons. Sehwag pointed out that it was a learning process, an experience which is part and parcel of the game. Providing the example of Delhi, who are just below them in the table.
“Last two years we were at the bottom of the table. This year Amla scored two centuries, Marsh and Maxwell have also been scoring. Axar Patel has been scoring too. Our batting and bowling has clicked overall”
“It can happen to any team. Look at Deli Daredevils, they have a very good side but their top players haven’t been performing. It all depends on the player’s form. As part of the sports staff, our job is to give the players, a good environment”, he explained.
Arguably one of the world’s best player, Virat Kohli has been struggling for form of late. The 28-year old had been in stupendous form for almost two seasons but has failed to replicate it over the past few months. His Delhi compatriot suggested that Kohli knows his situation and believes that he can get around his bad form.
“It happens to every player, even the biggest player in history, Sachin Tendulkar – his performances haven’t been the same every year. Time changes and so does your form. A good player can bounce back from bad form quickly. I think Virat Kohli knows how to get back into good form”, he signed off.
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