Virender Sehwag Reveals How Sachin Tendulkar Stopped Him From Quitting Cricket After MS Dhoni Dropped Him From Team

Virender Sehwag has opened up about a tough phase in his career when he almost quit One-Day Internationals after being left out by MS Dhoni during the 2007–08 Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia.

It was a tri-series with Australia and Sri Lanka, but Sehwag struggled to find form. In five games, he scored just 81 runs, averaging 16.20, with a best of 33. After the first three matches, captain Dhoni decided to drop him from the playing XI.

“In that series against Australia, I played three matches and then Dhoni dropped me. I was out for a while after that,” Sehwag told Padamjeet Sehrawat on his YouTube channel. “I felt if I can’t be in the playing XI, there’s no point in playing ODIs.”

Sachin’s words that changed everything

Feeling low, Sehwag turned to his close friend Sachin Tendulkar. The advice he received changed the course of his career.

“I told Sachin I was thinking of retiring from ODIs. He said he too had gone through a similar phase in 1999–2000. He told me these phases come and go, and not to take decisions in an emotional state. He advised me to give myself one or two more series before deciding,” Sehwag said.

Six months later, Sehwag bounced back in style during the Kitply Cup, scoring 150 runs in three matches, including two fifties.

That comeback secured his place in the team, eventually leading to his key role in India’s 2011 World Cup win, where he smashed 380 runs at a strike rate of 122.58.

“When that series ended, I played the next one and scored heavily. Later, I played in the 2011 World Cup and we won it,” he added.

Sehwag’s ODI career, which almost ended in 2008, became one of India’s most celebrated. He retired with 8,273 runs in 251 matches, 15 centuries, and the then-record ODI score of 219 against West Indies.