Virender Sehwag is known for his forthright statements and the former India opener shared his candid opinion on the growing debate between T20 franchise vs country as T20 leagues around the world continue to proliferate and clash with international fixtures.
In a virtual interaction with PTI Bhasha, Sehwag emphasised that players should always "prioritise" national duty over participation in T20 franchise competitions.
"I firmly believe that representing a country should always take precedence over participating in any league. It is essential for players to prioritize national duty above club commitments," said Sehwag.
"A prime example of this dedication was evident in the ILT20, where several West Indies players chose to leave the league temporarily to represent their nation in international fixtures in Australia.
"While I understand the allure of international leagues for domestic players, I believe their primary focus should remain on excelling in domestic competitions with the ultimate goal of representing India internationally," he added.
The 45-year-old also shared his opinion on the potential burnout of the players leading into the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 due to their participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024).
"I am confident that fatigue or burnout will not be a concern for players heading into the T20 World Cup. On the contrary, I feel that tournaments like IPL or ILT20 will prove instrumental in preparing teams for the global event.
"In IPL, one has to play 14 matches over two months, so there is ample time to maintain form and fitness and fine-tune skills ahead of the T20 World Cup," said the cricketer-turned-broadcaster.
Virender Sehwag on Yashasvi Jaiswal's impressive rise in international cricket
India's emerging batting sensation, Yashasvi Jaiswal, has been a prolific run-getter for the country in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle (2023-25). He is India's leading run-accumulator in the ongoing cycle with 637 runs in six games and is the fourth leading run-scorer overall behind Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith and Zak Crawley.
Jaiswal's impressive run has drawn comparisons with several greats of the game but Sehwag feels that those comparisons are too early.
"He is a very good batsman but I think comparisons are too early," he said.
