Sehwag’s Near ODI Retirement: The Untold Story Behind a Career-Changing Decision
Legendary Indian opener Virender Sehwag recently opened up about one of the most turbulent phases of his international career — a time when he actually contemplated walking away from ODI cricket altogether, years before India’s iconic 2011 World Cup triumph.
The turning point came during the 2007-08 Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia, a tough tri-nation tournament featuring India, Australia, and Sri Lanka. Sehwag, known for his fearless strokeplay and explosive starts, found himself going through a rare slump in form. Over the course of the first five completed matches, he managed to score only 81 runs at an average of 16.20 — well below his usual standards. His highest score in that stretch was just 33.
In a quest to shake things up, then-captain MS Dhoni decided to drop Sehwag from the playing XI. For a player who had been one of India’s most destructive match-winners in limited-overs cricket, the snub was a massive blow.
Sehwag has now admitted that the exclusion hit him so hard that he started seriously considering early retirement from One Day Internationals. Feeling sidelined and out of rhythm, he toyed with the idea of stepping away from the ODI format altogether — despite the 2011 World Cup being just a few years away.
But fate had other plans. His close friend and long-time opening partner Sachin Tendulkar intervened at just the right time. Tendulkar advised Sehwag not to give up and reminded him that every player goes through lean patches, but champions always bounce back. Encouraged by Sachin’s words, Sehwag decided to stay the course — a decision both he and Indian cricket fans would never regret.
As history would have it, Sehwag returned to form and played a crucial role in India’s ODI setup in the lead-up to the 2011 World Cup, where the Men in Blue lifted the trophy on home soil.
Sehwag’s poor run of form eventually cost him his spot in the playing XI, with skipper MS Dhoni opting to leave him out of the final three league matches of the CB Series. India ultimately created history by winning the tournament — their first-ever ODI series win in Australia — with Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar stepping up as the main run-scorers at the top of the order. While it was a memorable triumph for the team, it left Sehwag staring at an uncertain future in ODIs.
Recalling those turbulent days in a recent interview on Padamjeet Sehrawat’s YouTube channel, Sehwag said:
“In the 2007-08 series in Australia, I played the first five matches and then MS Dhoni dropped me from the side. I wasn’t picked for a while after that. Then I felt that if I can’t be a part of the playing XI, then there was no point in my playing ODI cricket. Then I went to Tendulkar and said, ‘I am thinking of retiring from ODIs’.”
But what happened next would alter the course of his career. Sehwag approached Sachin Tendulkar — not just a teammate, but a mentor and close friend — and shared his desire to quit ODIs. Tendulkar’s response was both candid and comforting. He admitted having gone through a similar rough patch during the 1999–2000 season, when he too had contemplated walking away from the game. Drawing from his own experience, Sachin advised Sehwag not to make an emotional decision in the heat of the moment.
“Sachin told me not to quit emotionally and reminded me that bad phases are temporary. He said I should give myself a couple more series before taking any drastic step,” Sehwag recalled.
Heeding that golden piece of advice, Sehwag held his nerve and continued to fight for his spot. His perseverance soon paid off — he bounced back strongly in the following series, cemented his re-entry into the side, and eventually became a vital cog in India’s batting unit. Fast forward three years, Sehwag was not only opening the innings for India in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup but also played a key role in helping the team lift the trophy on home soil.
Taking Tendulkar’s words to heart, Sehwag decided to battle through the slump rather than walk away. The results were immediate. In the Kitply Cup later that year, he roared back into form, scoring 150 runs in just three matches. That resurgence marked the start of a brilliant purple patch which re-established him as one of India’s premier ODI match-winners.
His consistency and explosive style saw him reclaim his spot at the top of the order, and by the time the 2011 World Cup arrived, Sehwag was once again opening the innings for India. The rest, as they say, is history — the Men in Blue went on to lift the trophy on home soil in one of the most iconic moments in Indian cricket.
Sehwag eventually retired from international cricket in 2015, leaving behind a truly remarkable ODI legacy. Over 251 matches, he smashed 8,273 runs at a strike-rate rarely seen among openers of his era, including 15 centuries. His career-best 219 against the West Indies in 2011 was, at the time, the highest individual score in ODI history. From nearly giving it all up to becoming one of the most feared openers the world has ever seen — Sehwag’s journey is a testament to perseverance, self-belief, and the power of timely advice.
