Virender Sehwag names a retired Indian player, who should play in ILT20

Virender Sehwag, known as the Nawab of Najafgarh, retired from international cricket in October 2015. Famous for his fearless approach, he was a key part of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning team, known for attacking bowlers from the first ball, including top fast bowlers like Dale Steyn, James Anderson, and Umar Gul.

However, Sehwag admitted that his hand-eye coordination is no longer sharp enough to face fast bowling as he once did. Now part of the 2025 DP World ILT20 commentary team, Sehwag revealed on February 6 that he is unlikely to play in franchise leagues, acknowledging that he has lost the touch he had during his playing days.

“If any Indian cricketer has recently retired from international cricket or the IPL and still wants to play, this tournament offers a fantastic platform for them. Take Dinesh Karthik, for example he went to SA20 and played there. It would be great to see some Indian players participate in the DP World ILT20 as well. Personally, I’d love to watch Yuvraj Singh in action in this tournament. He’s the king of sixes, after all. But for me, I’m too old now to take the field. Fast bowling is something I just can’t handle anymore,” the 46-year-old shared during an interaction with CricTracker.

I am too old to play now, I can't handle fast-bowling now, says Virender Sehwag who toyed premier fast bowlers during his peak. @Cricketracker @ILT20Official pic.twitter.com/zT4Bk1GViH — चिरकुट ज़िंदगी (@Chirayu_Jain26) February 6, 2025

When asked to rank the various cricket leagues in chronological order, the cricketer-turned-commentator gave a neutral response. He emphasized that he doesn’t want to compare one franchise league to another, as each league offers its own unique set of advantages and brings excitement to fans in different ways.

“I don’t think it’s fair to compare one league to another because each one serves a different country. IPL is great for India, BBL works well for Australia, and similarly, ILT20 benefits the UAE and the Middle East. It’s hard to choose a single league over the others. However, one thing I like about the DP World ILT20 is the unique format where you can have 9 international players in a single team, something you won’t see in other leagues,” he added.

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