Pick me only if I'll play- Sehwag recalls his words to selector Srikkanth; reveals how Dhoni reacted

Sehwag also spoke about how every player responds to criticism differently.

Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag | AFP

Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag shared an interesting yet shocking story when he decided to quit ODI cricket after then skipper MS Dhoni dropped him during the Commonwealth Banka tri-series in Australia in 2008.

However, Sehwag later changed his mind after his teammate and legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar stopped him from calling time on his ODI career back in 2008. However, he very clearly asked the national selectors to pick him in the India squad only if he was going to feature in the playing XI.

Well, after the incident, Sehwag got a number of games regularly and went on to score two half-centuries in India's next tri-series involving Pakistan and Bangladesh. He also made two fifties and a hundred in the Asia Cup, and never looked back again.

Read Also: IPL 2022: “Mahi bhai keeps things very simple”: Prashant Solanki on MS Dhoni

Sehwag said on Cricbuzz show 'Match Party': “Time changed. Chairman of selection committee K Srikanth asked me 'what do you want to do?' I said ‘there was no place for me in the side despite being in good touch so what else will I do’. Pick me only if you think I will play all the matches, otherwise don't. Then Srikkanth had a word with Dhoni before the Asia Cup. Dhoni said 'Viru Paa you will play'. After that, I played a lot of cricket but I didn't share this with anyone because I knew what I had to do.”

He also felt every player responds to criticism differently.

Sharing his views on the same, Sehwag said: “Few players take criticism positively. There are some who take criticism to heart. Some put hands around their ears, some salute... So they express.”

He signed off by saying, “Everyone has their way of handling things. Virat Kohli looks so aggressive or reactive, that is his style. Like Faf du Plessis said that he also tries to react that way as that gives energy to someone like Kohli to perform better.”

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 02 Jun, 2022

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