Virender Sehwag calls time on 37th birthday

Cricket has been my life and continues to be so. Playing for India was a memorable journey and I tried to make it more memorable for my team mates and the Indian cricket fans- Virender Sehwag

AFP, NEW DELHI: Swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag, the only Indian batsman ever to score a triple century in Test match cricket, announced his international retirement on Tuesday.
More than two years after last appearing for his country, Sehwag accepted that there would be no emotional comeback as he became the latest member of India’s World Cup-winning team to call it a day.
“God has been kind and I have done what I wanted to do,” he said in a statement on his 37th birthday after again being overlooked by the selectors for the ongoing series against South Africa.
“Cricket has been my life and continues to be so. Playing for India was a memorable journey and I tried to make it more memorable for my team mates and the Indian cricket fans.”
The right-handed batsman also confirmed he was retiring from the Indian Premier League, an annual Twenty20 tournament that takes place in April and May.
Reports however said Sehwag would continue to play first-class cricket for his state side Haryana in the domestic Ranji Tropy competition.
After making his debut against South Africa in 2001, Sehwag became one of the most feared batsmen in world cricket, forming part of a formidable line-up that also included Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly.
Sehwag is widely credited with transforming the role of opening batsman in Test cricket with a hard-hitting style that brought him a top score in Test matches of 319, against South Africa in Chennai in 2008.
While his sometimes unorthodox style often infuriated the purists, he resisted pressure to temper his aggression at the top of the order.
“I also want to thank everyone for all the cricketing advice given to me over the years and apologise for not accepting most of it,” he joked on Tuesday. “I had a reason for not following it, I did it my way!”
The Delhi-born batsman was twice named the world’s leading player by the Wisden cricketers’ almanac. He played a total of 104 Tests, scoring 8,586 runs at an average of 49.34.
He also played 251 ODIs, scoring 8,273 runs at an average of 35.05. He at one stage held the record for the highest score in 50-over internationals after plundering 219 against the West Indies.

Virender Sehwag calls time on 37th birthday

Cricket has been my life and continues to be so. Playing for India was a memorable journey and I tried to make it more memorable for my team mates and the Indian cricket fans- Virender Sehwag

AFP, NEW DELHI: Swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag, the only Indian batsman ever to score a triple century in Test match cricket, announced his international retirement on Tuesday. More than two years after last appearing for his country, Sehwag accepted that there would be no emotional comeback as he became the latest member of Indias World Cup-winning team to call it a day. God has been kind and I have done what I wanted to do, he said in a statement on his 37th birthday after again being overlooked by the selectors for the ongoing series against South Africa. Cricket has been my life and continues to be so. Playing for India was a memorable journey and I tried to make it more memorable for my team mates and the Indian cricket fans. The right-handed batsman also confirmed he was retiring from the Indian Premier League, an annual Twenty20 tournament that takes place in April and May. Reports however said Sehwag would continue to play first-class cricket for his state side Haryana in the domestic Ranji Tropy competition. After making his debut against South Africa in 2001, Sehwag became one of the most feared batsmen in world cricket, forming part of a formidable line-up that also included Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly. Sehwag is widely credited with transforming the role of opening batsman in Test cricket with a hard-hitting style that brought him a top score in Test matches of 319, against South Africa in Chennai in 2008. While his sometimes unorthodox style often infuriated the purists, he resisted pressure to temper his aggression at the top of the order. I also want to thank everyone for all the cricketing advice given to me over the years and apologise for not accepting most of it, he joked on Tuesday. I had a reason for not following it, I did it my way! The Delhi-born batsman was twice named the worlds leading player by the Wisden cricketers almanac. He played a total of 104 Tests, scoring 8,586 runs at an average of 49.34. He also played 251 ODIs, scoring 8,273 runs at an average of 35.05. He at one stage held the record for the highest score in 50-over internationals after plundering 219 against the West Indies.