‘ENJOYING COMMENTING RATHER THAN GETTING READY FOR A MATCH’
Virender Sehwag’s innings away from cricket has been an exciting one
Virender Sehwag is happily retired, and doesn’t spend his time reminiscing about the days spent on the field. The former India opener confesses that it has been months since he even picked a bat, and says he is enjoying exploring this new phase of his life.
“If I see somebody playing, I am like ‘Thank God, I’m not playing’. Because I had a lot of pain in my body when I was playing cricket. I had hip joint issues, back problems, shoulder issues, and had a couple of surgeries. That was the reason why I retired in my 30s,” admits Sehwag, part of the 2011 World Cup winning team, who retired in 2015.
He continues, “I am happily retired and enjoying my comments on cricket rather than putting a lot of effort, doing a lot of practice, going to gym to get ready for the matches. There are some people who ask me, ke andar se nahi aata ke thoda aur bat uthaon, ya ek do balls aur khel lun’, and my answer always is ‘no’.”
Sehwag, who played international cricket roughly for 14 years, reveals he picked up a bat back in March, and has not touched it since. “Even when my kids play, I never ever try to play a ball with them,” he says.
But is it that easy to detach from cricket, which continues to shadow your life in some way even today? “Now, I’m playing a lot of other sports, like table tennis, carrom or chess, which don’t come with any pressure on the body. However, there are days when you think, ‘should I play more’. But for me that time has gone, so now I am enjoying my commentary,” shares the 42-year-old.
Even though commentary is his bread and butter, he is exploring more from his life, from starting a school to having an activewear and sportswear brand, VS by Sehwag, with which he recently went virtual.
“I came out with a sportswear brand in March last year, and after that, pandemic and lockdown happened. It was a very tough time for us from a revenue point of view and managing everything. Thank God, bad times went and good times are here… Now, our aim is to reach ₹100 crore revenue in the next three to five years,” he says.
It is no secret that cricket has always been a favourite when it comes to biopics in Bollywood. And he is not averse to watching his life story play on screen.
“If an opportunity comes from a good production house, and they are ready to pay me the big check, then I will think about it,” he says, adding that he has no name in the wishlist for the same.
“That’s not my job. It is the director and casting director’s job,” he says while wrapping up.