Virender Sehwag expresses his unhappiness about not being given a farewell match

Sehwag said he was pained about not playing his farewell match

Former Indian batting sensation Virender Sehwag, who announced his retirement from International cricket recently, has come out and said that the ‘pain’ of not playing a farewell match for India would remain in his mind for a long time, reports The Hindu.

“Had the selectors told me that they were going to drop me, I could have requested them to allow me to play my last Test in Delhi and then announce my retirement, but they did not give me that opportunity,” he confessed.

“A sort of sadness shall always remain in my mind that I was not allowed to retire while playing, but anyway, it’s all a part of life for a sportsman, who, while playing, never realises when he should retire, but he starts thinking about it when he is dropped.”

The veteran batsman questioned whether a player who has played for his country for more than a decade, did not deserve a farewell match. “I would like to ask: Should not a player who has played 12 to 13 years for his country, deserves a farewell match?”

There were unconfirmed reports that organisers were planning a farewell match for Sehwag in the upcoming test series against South Africa in New Delhi. The 37-year old also maintained that every retired player deserved a farewell match. “If that is so(farewell match), it will be good. If BCCI cannot organise, at least DDCA should do. It’s not a question of me alone, every player who retires should get a farewell.”

When Clarke sledged Sachin and Sehwag taught him a lesson

The Nawab of Najafgarh also blatanly said that any underperforming player should be dropped irrespective of his rank. “If a player fails to perform in four or five consecutive matches, he should be dropped irrespective of whether he is a senior or a junior player,” he said.

Sehwag had one of the best opening partners in Sachin Tendulkar during the twilight years of his career. He recalls an incident involving his reply to Michael Clarke who was taunting Tendulkar’s age. “I and Sachin were batting in Australia. Michael Clarke had been inducted fresh. He was frequently telling Sachin ‘you’re too old, you can’t field, you can’t do this, you can’t do that’ I went up to Clarke and asked his age. He said, 23. I told him Tendulkar has made more centuries than your age,” he fondly recalled.

The former Vice captain also expressed his regret about not playing against his favourite team Pakistan during the later part of his career. “Had India played two more Test series against Pakistan, I could have completed 10,000 Test runs. I have made 8,586 Test runs. We stopped playing home series or away series against Pakistan since 2006. If you see my batting averages particularly against Pakistan, you will find my batting averages between 90 and 100,” he said.

Sehwag added that he enjoyed playing Pakistan the most because of the intense rivalry between the two countries and the atmosphere generated by the fans. “It’s because of rivalry between both countries in sports. The grounds are always full, and the expectations among fans are high. This is because Pakistan was earlier a part of undivided India, that’s why the rivalry is big and everybody becomes excited.”