Sehwag ruled out of World T20
India’s star opening batsman, Virender Sehwag, has been ruled out of the ICC World Twenty20 with a shoulder injury.
Sehwag has been advised to undergo surgery on the injury that forced him out of India’s opening match against Bangladesh, and the team’s warm-up matches.
The news comes a day after the Times of India speculated that Sehwag had missed a net session as a result of a team boycott against the media. This theory has since been refuted but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the Indian team is unhappy with some of that country’s cricket writers.
Less than a week ago, it was widely reported that a rift existed between Sehwag and his captain, MS Dhoni. In reaction to these claims, Dhoni paraded his entire team to a press conference where he refused to answer any questions and instead read from a hand written note:
“This message is for the people of India and for Indian cricket fans worldwide – and comes from the whole team. As we prepare for the T20 World Cup, we are a superbly unified team.”
“The team spirit is as good as it has been. There is no rift in the team. Media reports of rift between me and Virender Sehwag are completely false, baseless and irresponsible. Our fans and supporters can take confidence from the wonderful unity that continues to exist in this team.”
It is understood that the two players had exchanged heated words about whether Sehwag was fit enough to play in the tournament. Sehwag apparently walked away from a practise session when he was told that he was not going to be in the starting XI for India’s opening match.
At today’s press conference at Trent Bridge, Dhoni refused to answer questions about Sehwag’s injury. He and the team media manager, Anurudh Chaudhary, insisted that a media release from the BCCI is on the way and that it was not a matter for discussion.
Mayhem broke out at the conference when Dhoni understood that a member of the media was accusing him of leaking the various sensationalist versions of the (Sewhag) story that have appeared in Indian newspapers over the past week.
“I am not saying anything about that (the Sehwag incident / injury). If you are blaming me then why don’t you stand up and say so. You are blaming me for leaking but it is full of media.”
Lots of raised Hindi voices were thrown around the room and it was minutes before the media manager calmed things down enough for the press conference to continue.
