Sachin Tendulkar stopped me from retiring in 2007: Virender Sehwag

Revealing that he wanted to retire at the top of his game, veteran batsman said that it was iconic cricketer who stopped him from calling it quits after the swashbuckling opener was dropped from the Indian team in 2007

New Delhi: Revealing that he wanted to retire at the top of his game, veteran batsman Virender Sehwag yesterday said that it was iconic cricketer Sachin Tendulkar who stopped him from calling it quits after the swashbuckling opener was dropped from the Indian team in 2007.

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Virender Sehwag (Pic/AFP) and Sachin Tendulkar

Sehwag retired on his 37th birthday on October 20, more than two-and-a-half years after his last appearance for the national team. "Every player wants to retire at the top of his international game. Had I also retired while playing international cricket, I could have given a retirement speech. But fate had something else in store for me," Sehwag told Zee News.

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"I was planning to retire in 2007 when dropped from the team but Tendulkar stopped me from doing so," he added. Sehwag's career ended after he was dropped from the Indian squad following the second Test against Australia in March 2013.

Not much chances
The destructive opener rued that the selectors did not give him enough chances. "The selectors did not ask me about my future plan before dropping me during Australia series in 2013. Had the selectors told me about their decision, I could have announced my retirement in that series," he said.

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