New Delhi, Feb 2
Sidelined India batsman
Virender Sehwag has ruled out the possibility of retiring from cricket
and has expressed his insistence on playing for "atleast the next two
years."
Sehwag was dropped from the impending World Cup's
30-member preliminary squad following a prolonged form slump. The
right-handed batsman said he was still keen to play competitive cricket
and has no imminent plans of quitting the game.
"I am still
playing. And till the time I continue to play, I am not thinking about
anything else. I will not consider quitting till I have the desire to
play," the right-handed batsman said on the sidelines of a press
conference after being unveiled as a judge of cricket commentary for a
radio channel here Monday.
"No. I am not thinking about retiring. Atleast not for the next two years. Am only thinking about my game at the moment."
But
he has made peace with the fact that he won't be part of the World Cup
team in 2015. Sehwag was among five integral players of the 2011-Cup
winning team who were dropped from the 30-member preliminary squad for
this year's edition starting Feb 14.
He, however, wished luck to
the team selected for defending the Cup saying it has got a strong
chance of reaching the semi-finals.
"From there it depends on how
the team plays in that particular match. The youngsters in the team are
good. We have a good batting line-up."
The 36-year-old also
dismissed views that India's trying Australia tour, in which they lost
the four-match Test series 0-2 and failed to qualify for the final of
the tri-series also involving England, would have any negative effect on
the team's title defence.
"No effect on current form would fall
in the World Cup, specially for batsmen. The team would try to produce
their best irrespective of the form.
In the 2003 Cup in South Africa, not many gave us a fighting chance of playing well, but we managed to reach the final."
"We
are still the defending champions. In cricket up and down in form
happens. The players don't worry about it too much. They focus on their
performance because they need to play well even after the World Cup to
remain in the team."
The destructive batsman also said that the
different nature of the pitches in Australia would play a part in
determining the outcome of the tournament.
He noted that the new
field restrictions of having to keep five players within the 30-yard
circle would make life difficult for India's part-time bowlers.
"Effects
of different nature of wickets would be felt by teams. Earlier it was
mandatory to keep only four fielders within the 30-yard circle. But now
you need to keep five players. The new five-man rule would be a
disadvantage for India. Due to this stipulation, the all-rounders' role
would be crucial," he opined.
