Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has shared details of a challenging period with former Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) director of operations, Virender Sehwag, during the IPL 2017 season. In his new book, Maxwell recounts the friction between him and Sehwag, highlighting issues related to team selection, management decisions, and a public fallout that ultimately led to a strained relationship.

Sehwag’s role in team decisions and Maxwell’s discontent

Maxwell, who captained PBKS during the 2017 season, detailed how Sehwag maintained significant control over team selection, sidelining input from the coaching staff. Despite a consensus to involve all coaches in a WhatsApp group for team decisions, Sehwag ignored suggestions and asserted his authority to pick the playing XI unilaterally. This approach, according to Maxwell, contributed to the team’s underwhelming performance that season.

In his book, Maxwell explained, “We thought it might be beneficial to include the coaching staff in a WhatsApp group for team decisions. Everyone was on board, except for Sehwag. In the end, he was the one calling the shots on the starting XI, and this affected the morale both on and off the field.”

Public fallout after loss to rising Pune Super Giants

Maxwell also recounted the aftermath of PBKS’s final game of the season against Rising Pune Super Giants, which they lost by nine wickets. Following the match, Maxwell volunteered to face the media, but Sehwag chose to go instead, using the opportunity to criticize Maxwell publicly, calling him a “big disappointment” and blaming him for failing to take responsibility as captain. Maxwell was surprised by this, especially when he found out that he had been removed from the team’s WhatsApp group soon after the game.

The former PBKS captain also mentioned his private response to Sehwag’s remarks: “I texted him saying how much it hurt to hear those comments. I told him he’d lost a fan in me. He responded, saying he didn’t need a fan like me. That was the last we spoke.”

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Maxwell eventually left PBKS and played for other franchises, including Delhi Capitals in 2018 and later rejoining PBKS in 2020. Since 2021, he has been a part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, with his future in the franchise still under consideration.

Chennai Super Kings suffered their sixth defeat of the season as Gujarat Titans bounced back with a 35-run victory in Ahmedabad. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan’s remarkable centuries propelled GT to a formidable total of 231/3, and the hosts successfully defended it by restricting CSK to 196/8, keeping their playoff hopes alive.

CSK’s chase began disastrously, losing their openers with just two runs on the board, including skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s early departure for a duck, leaving them reeling at 10/3. However, Daryl Mitchell and Moeen Ali staged a commendable fightback, forging a 109-run partnership to revive CSK’s hopes. But Mohit Sharma’s crucial breakthroughs halted their momentum, dismissing both set batsmen along with Shivam Dube. 

“We should end the debate around MS Dhoni’s batting position…” 

Rashid Khan further compounded CSK’s woes by claiming two vital wickets, leaving them in a precarious position.

“We should end the debate around MS Dhoni’s batting position. He knows what he wants to do. It’s his wish. But if you want to win the match, the form he is in, and the strike rate that he’s batting at… the other batters need to play at a similar level. It felt today that Mitchell and Ali couldn’t match Sudharsan and Gill. Someone has to score a 100. Or Jadeja and Dube had to score a 20-ball fifty to get close to the target,” Sehwag said.

“I don’t want to get into the debate. Wherever he bat, it’s fine. He played fine, entertained the public, who cares if they win or lose? He entertained public, that’s it,” Sehwag further said.

Performance does not lead to the result as CSK defeated by GT 

In a valiant effort, MS Dhoni showcased his batting prowess with three towering sixes in the final over, but it wasn’t enough to salvage the match for CSK. The debate over Dhoni’s batting position has been a topic of discussion throughout IPL 2024, especially after his appearance at no.9 in the previous match against Punjab Kings.

“Like just hitting sixes and fours, which he has done pretty well. And keep as well as some of the best in the competition if not the best in the competition. So don’t underestimate his influence on the team just because he comes in at No. 9. There’s a timing aspect, but we’re very wary of what he can give us. And we’ll max that out,” Fleming was quoted.

“But we don’t want to max that out where we lose him. So it’s a delicate balance, but trust me, his best interest is with us, and his interest [is] in performing well for us is still very high. To put the nation at ease – he’s okay,” he added.

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Virender Sehwag weighed in on the debate, suggesting that CSK should reconsider Dhoni’s position given his current form. However, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming emphasized Dhoni’s significance to the team, highlighting their efforts to manage his workload and avoid unnecessary pressure. Despite the defeat, CSK remains confident in Dhoni’s ability to contribute effectively to the franchise.

Former India player Virender Sehwag has called for giving free tickets to children for non-India games at the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. However, the opening fixture of the 2023 ODI World Cup between England and New Zealand started in front of almost empty stands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad today (October 5) as well.

However, the mere presence of spectators at the World Cup grabbed the eyeballs of the wider cricket public as people opined on how the BCCI and ICC’s mismanagement of the scheduling and ticketing process led to the situation where the tournament started in front of largely empty stands as well.

It is also noteworthy that, the Narendra Modi Stadium is the largest cricket stadium in the world with a capacity of around 132,000 people, which makes it look relatively empty even if there were fans in the stadium as well. Meanwhile, this could be a fact of the poor attendance for the match that the first match is being played on a weekday without India playing in it as well.

And, Virender Sehwag joined in on the discussion about the empty stands and stated that providing free tickets to school and college-going children for games not involving India at the World Cup could help as well.

“Hopefully after office hours, there should be more people coming in. But for games not featuring Bharat (India), there should be free tickets for school and college children,” said Sehwag. “With the fading interest in 50 over game, it will definitely help that youngsters get to experience a World Cup game and players get to play in front of a full stadium.”

However, a few days back, the new MCC President Mark Nicholas has also said that MCC “strongly believes” that ODIs should be restricted only to World Cups as well. “We think it’s difficult bilaterally now to justify them. They’re not filling grounds in a lot of countries,” said Nicholas.

Without captain Shikhar Dhawan, the Punjab Kings are currently in trouble. The team was chasing a target of 175 runs in their most recent match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, but they were bowled out for just 150 runs. 

Sam Curran, who was in charge of the team when Dhawan wasn’t there, didn’t do much with the ball or the bat

The English all-rounder was run out for a small 10 runs off 12 balls, and previous Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag was incredulous of his exhibition.

Sehwag, in his examination, was scorching towards Curran, particularly for his dynamic that prompted his run out. The former Indian opener also emphasized Curran’s lack of experience in comparison to Dhawan’s. Curran is one of the most sought-after all-rounders in the game. He was purchased at the auction for a staggering INR 18.50 crore, making him one of the tournament’s most expensive players.

“He’s an international player. But you can’t buy experience with 18 crore. It only comes when you play, when your hair turns white as you play under the hot sun,” .

Sehwag said on Cricbuzz’s show

“We think just because he was bought for 18 crore, he will win you matches. But he doesn’t have that experience yet. It was poor running, there was no need for that. You’re captain, you should’ve stayed, tried to take it to the final overs. But again, the lack of experience cost him,”

the former India and Punjab Kings opener further said.

The Kings’ loss against the Royal Challengers pushed them down to the seventh spot in the points table, with three wins and three losses in six matches. Even though the season isn’t over yet, the team is probably hoping that Dhawan’s quick recovery will help them get good results the rest of the way.

In IPL 2023, Chennai Super Kings‘ bowling performance was subpar. Their bowlers have not quite been able to choke the opposing batters, despite their towering scores when batting first. After putting 227 runs on the board in their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday, CSK had to fight until the very last over to win the match by 8 runs.

Their seam attack has been weakened by injuries to key bowlers like Deepak Chahar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sisanda Magala, Ben Stokes, and Simarjeet Singh, but discipline and accuracy have been the primary concerns.

In this IPL, CSK bowlers have bowled multiple wides and no-balls

They bowled six wides on Monday, even against RCB. Captain MS Dhoni, who is known to be one of the calmest cricketers in the game, was forced to issue a warning due to the extras issue with the CSK bowlers.

“They’ll have to bowl no no-balls and fewer wides. We are bowling too many extra deliveries and need to cut them out otherwise they’ll be playing under a new captain,”

Dhoni had said after beating LSG earlier this month.

In that time, CSK had bowled 13 wides. The number has decreased, but it has not yet reached a level that is manageable. Virender Sehwag, a former India opener, stated that Dhoni, the captain of CSK, will soon face a suspension for his numerous slow over-rate offenses if this trend continues.

“Dhoni was not looking happy because he has mentioned before that he wants the bowlers to reduce the number of no-balls and wides. CSK had bowled two-three years of extra and against RCB, they bowled another extra over. It shouldn’t go to a stage where Dhoni gets banned and CSK has to take the field without their captain. With the kind of knee injury he has, it appears he might play only a handful of matches more anyway. He is constantly pushing himself but if his bowlers are bowling so many wides and no-balls, then Dhoni will have to take rest,”

Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.

Yet again Tushar Deshpande, who has been offered the most additional items for CSK in the current year’s IPL, bowled three wides against RCB however Sehwag was more annoyed with spinner Maheesh Theekshana.

“It is especially disheartening to see the spinners bowl wides. These are things under your control,”

he said.

Sehwag described CSK’s bowling attack as “weak” and stated that the four-time champions’ continued participation in the tournament would be difficult if they were unable to resolve the issue quickly.

“I’ve been saying from day 1 that CSK’s bowling is weak. They need to work in that department. But what more can they do? They will have to use whatever resources they have this season. The bowlers have to be more accurate. If you look at their performance against RCB, they bowled 30-35 dot balls so they didn’t let RCB score a run in six overs. Despite that, they ended up conceding 218 because they leaked far too many sixes and fours,”

he added.

Virender Sehwag, one of the greatest batters in the history of Indian cricket, was widely revered as one of the most explosive batters of his time. Apart from being known for his explosive batting, Sehwag was one of the few Indian batters who could make an impact with the ball as well.

Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag recently revealed in an interview that he got extremely angry with current Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli for denying him a potential milestone during a match

Sehwag, known for his aggressive batting style during his playing days, recalled an incident during a match against Sri Lanka in 2009 where he was batting on 99 and was confident of reaching his century.

However, Kohli, who was batting at the other end, refused to take a single on the last ball of the over and instead, chose to face the first ball of the next over. Sehwag was left stranded on 99 and missed out on a well-deserved century. Sehwag expressed his disappointment and frustration at Kohli’s decision, stating that he could have easily taken the single and allowed him to reach the milestone.

Sehwag further added that he had always played for the team and would have done the same thing for Kohli had the roles been reversed. However, Kohli’s decision left him feeling angry and let down. He also acknowledged that Kohli has since become a great player and a good captain for the Indian team.

Sehwag said that there were times when he cherished a bowling milestone, to the point that there was an occasion when he shouted at a young Virat Kohli for dropping a catch off his bowling.

“I don’t know about magic, but I did get some big batters out with my bowling. Ponting, Hayden, Hussey, Sangakkara, Jayawardene, Dilshan, and Lara are some of the top batters. I once dismissed Gilchrist round his legs in Perth. The big ones did fall to me sometimes,”

Sehwag told Ranveer Allahabadia in a video on his BeerBiceps YouTube channel.

“I actually felt quite sad when Virat Kohli once dropped a dolly off me at midwicket once. I would have probably got to some bowling milestone, but he ended up putting it down. I got so angry, probably far more than when I missed a triple century. I told him come on man, you should have caught that,”

he continued.

Sehwag’s comments have sparked a debate among cricket fans, with some criticizing Kohli’s decision while others defend it, citing the need to play for the team’s cause. While milestones are important, cricket is ultimately a team game, and decisions like these are often made based on the situation and the team’s requirements.

In conclusion, Sehwag’s revelation serves as a reminder that cricket, like any other sport, is filled with moments of disappointment and frustration, and it is important to learn from these experiences and move on. As for Kohli and Sehwag, they have both moved on to different stages of their careers and remain two of India’s greatest cricketers.

Virender Sehwag, the swaggering former Indian opening batsman, is considered one of the greatest entertainers in cricket history. His destructive batting style and fearless approach raise his fan following all around the world. But like every cricketer, Shewag’s career also has its ups and downs, and one of the most tumultuous periods in his career was during his time as a member of the Indian Cricket team under coach Greg Chappell.

However, Sehwag was seen as the natural successor to Sourav Ganguly as the captain of team India Cricket team

Sehwag had already proven himself as a great leader, having led India to a test series victory over South Africa in 2005. But things started to collapse and unravel under Chappell’s coaching.

Chappell, who was a former Australian cricketer, was known for his aggressive and disruptive coaching style. Even he was not afraid to make big changes and shake up the team without any hesitation. 

And this often led to clashes between players and other members of the coaching staff. Sehwag, who had been a crucial part of the team under Ganguly, found himself struggling under Chappell’s leadership.

In an interview, Sehwag opens up his mouth about the difficulties he faced during Chappell’s period. He stated that Chappell forced him to change his batting style and play in a defensive way. Sehwag who is attacking in nature is more difficult to play defensively. And Sehwag also found it difficult for him to adapt to the new playing style. He also adds that Chappell does not care about Sehwag’s concerns and doesn’t provide back support which he needed to succeed.

As a result, Sehwag struggled on the field and this led to his being dropped from the team. He said that this was the bad phase of his cricket career and he felt that he lost his fan support. But he also that this experience helps him a lot and helped him to become a great long-time player for team India.

Quite apart from his difficulties, Sehwag persisted in working hard and raising his level of play.  He also added at last foreign coaches may not be the best option for team India. 

“I have always believed that in our country, we have good coaches who can manage the Indian team. Hence, we don’t need foreign coaches. But when I was playing, I asked this question to my seniors ‘Why do we need another foreign coach after John Wright?’. All of them, who had spent a lot of time with Indian coaches, said that Indian coaches at times get biassed towards players – some become favourites and those who don’t are pushed at the end of the line. So when a foreign coach comes, he will look at them differently. But to be honest, even a foreign coach can feel the pressure of dealing with a Tendulkar or a Dravid or a Ganguly or a Laxman,”

Sehwag said.

Yet again, subsequent to expressing that weightlifting practices assume a significant part in physical issues of the players nowadays, previous India opener Virender Sehwag has offered a frightening remark in regards to the Yo-Yo test. 

The Yo-Yo test and the Dexa (bone scan test) test were recently reinstated as required selection procedures by the BCCI. Sehwag made a dig at the management by stating that many legendary players would not have been a part of Team India if the Yo-Yo test had been required at the time.

The meeting that had been pending since India’s exit from the T20 World Cup semi-finals was finally held on Sunday by the Board of Cricket Council of India (BCCI)

The board decided, following the meeting, to include the Yo-Yo fitness test once more as one of the selection criteria for the Indian cricket team. Jay Shah, president Roger Binny, captain Rohit Sharma, coach Rahul Dravid, NCA chief VVS Laxman, and selector Chetan Sharma attended the meeting.

Running at increasing speeds between markers 20 meters apart in the Yo-Yo test is an endurance fitness test. The test was presented when Virat Kohli had the reins of the Indian cricket crew at first had a passing score of 16.1 and was subsequently expanded to 16.5.

Dexa, a bone scan test, is now a part of the selection criteria in addition to the Yo-Yo test.

The meeting also made important decisions about the Indian cricket team’s future and decided that emerging players who want to play white ball cricket over red ball cricket for IPL riches will have to play a “substantial domestic season” to be eligible for national selection.

“There was a trend in the Indian team that if you fail the Yo-Yo test, you won’t get a chance. If this was the case during our time, then a lot of legendary players wouldn’t have been part of the team because they would have failed the Yo-Yo test,”

Sehwag told News18.

“During that time, focus was on skills. Who will win you matches: One who performs well or the one who runs better? If you want good runners, then have them run marathons, no need to play cricket. That’s what I believe,”

he added.

In addition, Sehwag stated that players should concentrate on their skills rather than weightlifting in the gym because doing so may result in injuries.

“Time has changed. During our time, the focus was on practicing and improving skills be it fielding, bowling or batting. Gym may help me in improving my career span and it’s important but it’s different for everyone. If the body permits weightlifting, then do it. But if you have concerns, be it back issue, knee problem, then there should be a limit. Skill is more important,”

said Sehwag.

Sehwag previously disclosed that he was approached in 2017 to apply for the position of India coach to succeed Anil Kumble. He claimed that BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary and India captain Virat Kohli had approached him at the time.

“I wouldn’t have applied if Virat Kohli and then BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary hadn’t approached me. We had a meeting, and he (Choudhary) told me that things weren’t working out between Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble. We want you to take the coaching position. He told me that Kumble’s contract will expire after the Champions Trophy in 2017 and then you can travel to the West Indies with the team,”

said Sehwag.

“I didn’t say yes or no, but I said if I travel to West Indies, I would want my coaching staff, the assistant coach, bowling coach, batting coach and the fielding coach. I want my own choice for the support staff and I didn’t get that choice so I didn’t travel to West Indies,”

he added.

After the World Cup rout, the whole choice board of the Indian cricket crew was sacked. However, the meeting was attended by Chetan Sharma, a panel member who was fired. Together with Harvinder Singh, another ex-panel member, he has submitted a new application for the position.

During the meeting, the plan for hosting the World Cup in 2023 at home was also discussed.

“The issues of player availability, workload management, and fitness parameters were also discussed at length during the meeting along with the roadmap to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023,”

the statement read.

The wellness level of the Indian players became exposed after their conflicting execution of the players. Jasprit Bumrah and other crucial players have been absent from the team for some time.

“I didn’t say yes or no, but I said if I travel to West Indies, I would want my coaching staff, the assistant coach, bowling coach, batting coach and the fielding coach. I want my own choice for the support staff and I didn’t get that choice so I didn’t travel to West Indies,”

he added.

No Indian opener has ever been able to match the great Virender Sehwag‘s ability to hit clean shots. Not just has he got two triple-centuries, his daredevilry with the bat made him an engaging watch as well.

Additionally, he was a member of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2011 and 2007

He played 19 T20Is, 251 One-Day Internationals (8273 runs), and 104 Tests (8586 runs). His final match for India was against Australia in March of 2013. Sehwag has now made it clear that no Indian batter of today plays like him.

“I don’t think there is any player in the Indian team who bats like me. The two players who came to my mind who have come close to it are Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant. I think Rishabh Pant is a little bit close to what I used to bat like in Test cricket but he is satisfied with 90-100 but I used to get satisfied with 200, 250 and 300. If he takes his game to that level then I think he can entertain the fans even more,”

Sehwag said during News18 India Chaupal.

As of late, Sehwag remarked on the continuous wounds endured by the players of the senior men’s public cricket crew. He said that weightlifting exercises often play a big part in players getting hurt, but cricket doesn’t use weightlifting. Sehwag advised the players to concentrate more on their game rather than lifting weights. He thinks that Indian players are getting hurt in the gym rather than on the field these days.

It is important to point out that cricket players are using the exercise to get stronger bodies these days.

“There is no place for weightlifting in cricket. Instead, you should do the exercises that improve your game. Weightlifting will give you strength, but will also increase stiffness and soreness. In our days, Aakash Chopra, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, MS Dhoni, or Yuvraj Singh, nobody were ruled out due to back, hamstring, or quadricep injuries,”

said Sehwag on ‘The Ranveer Show’.

Ishan Kishan on Saturday slammed the fastest double-century in One-Day Internationals during the ongoing 3rd ODI between India and Bangladesh in Chattogram. He achieved the feat in 126 balls, also becoming the fourth Indian batter to score a double-hundred. Kishan, who was drafted in for the last match of the series after captain Rohit Sharma got injured, slammed 24 fours and 10 sixes, before getting dismissed on the penultimate delivery of the 36th over. After he reached the 200-run mark, people from all walks of life took to Twitter to hails the young batter.

Ishan Kishan was in red-hot form as he rewrote batting record books during the third ODI between India and Bangladesh in Chattogram on Sunday. Playing in his first match of the Bangladesh tour, Ishan blasted 210 off just 131 deliveries to become the fourth Indian to score an ODI double-century. And he reached the milestone on the 126th delivery – which is the quickest by any batter in men’s ODI history. Ishan belted 24 fours and 10 sixes during his record-breaking assault, not sparing anyone.

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That’s the way to do it. Brilliant from Ishan Kishan. This is the approach that will do Team India a world of good. #INDvsBAN pic.twitter.com/PepchFwFF1— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) December 10, 2022

Kishan broke the world record held earlier by West Indies great Chris Gayle, of slamming the fastest double hundred in 50-over cricket. Gayle had taken 138 deliveries to score his double hundred against Zimbabwe in the 2015 ICC World Cup. India trail Bangladesh 0-2 in the three-match series.