Virender Sehwag Likely to Keep Ranji Trophy Commitments Before Retiring
Virender Sehwag dropped hints at retiring from international cricket during the launch of the Masters Champions League in Dubai.
Virender Sehwag, one of India's greatest cricketers, on Monday hinted that he will draw curtains on his international career soon as he confirmed his participation in next year's Masters Champions League, where only retired cricketers can play.
He said that he would announce retirement once he returns to India from Dubai, where he was attending the MCL launch function.
When Sehwag, who was present alongside Brian Lara, Graeme Smith and Azhar Mahmood at the launch, was asked how he could play as MCL is a retired cricketers' league, Sehwag said: "If I am not retired I will not play. I will go back to India and announce my retirement. So it isn't official yet, people."
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In the press conference, Sehwag reiterated that his retirement was not yet official. "I am playing first class cricket and not international cricket. I am retired only, I can say that but I have to announce officially. When I will go back to India, I will think about it and will officially announce my retirement from all forms of the game. You will hear very soon," Sehwag stated.
Sehwag's decision comes only two days after one of his contemporaries Zaheer Khan decided to call time on his career.
A day before his 37th birthday, Sehwag was on Monday unveiled at the launch ceremony of the veterans league in Dubai.
MCL is supposed to be played in February next year, which means that Sehwag will complete his Ranji Trophy commitments with Haryana before joining the veterans' league.
In a glorious international career spanning over 12 years, Sehwag played 104 Tests scoring 8586 runs at an impressive average of 49.34, hitting 23 centuries and 32 half-centuries.
He is the only triple centurion in Tests for India having scored career-best knock of 319 against Pakistan at Multan, which also is an Indian record. He is also one of those rare batsmen to have scored two triple ton with his next one (309) coming against South Africa.
In 251 ODIs, he accumulated 8273 runs at an average of 35.05 and scored 15 hundreds apart from hitting 38 fifties.
In 19 Twenty20 Internationals, he managed 394 runs with two half-centuries.
He has been a part of two World Cup winning teams under Mahendra Singh Dhoni's leadership --- 2007 World T20 in South Africa and the ICC Cricket World Cup in India.