"As Long As I Am Test Captain...": Virender Sehwag Reveals How Anil Kumble's Message Revived His Career

Former India opener Virender Sehwag remains one of the best opening batters to play for the national team. His attacking mindset set him apart from the others. The Delhi batter has two triple-centuries to his name in the longest format. however, there was a period when Sehwag was out-of-favour from the selectors. He was even dropped during the 2007 season. However, he made a comeback in the 2007-08 India-Australia series. He has now revealed how then skipper Anil Kumble helped him.

"Suddenly, I realised I was not part of the Test side; it hurt. I would have ended with 10,000+ Test runs had I not been dropped for that period," said Sehwag on Sports18 show 'Home Of Heroes'.

In the 2007-08 Australia tour, Sehwag did not feature in the first two Tests, which India lost. He made his comeback in the third Test at Perth, in which India went on to register a remarkable win.

"Score a 50 in this match, and you will be picked for the match in Perth," Sehwag said while remembering the words of the then skipper Kumble ahead of a warm-up game. Sehwag had scored a ton before lunch in the match against ACT Invitation XI. Sehwag then played in Perth, gave a good start at the top in both innings, and took two wickets.

But it was in Adelaide, the fourth Test when he announced his arrival, but not in typical Sehwag fashion. A 63 in the first innings was followed by an uncharacteristic but match-saving 151 in the second at Adelaide.

"Those 60 runs were the toughest I scored in my life. I was playing to repay the faith Anil Bhai put in me. I did not want anyone to question him for bringing me to Australia. I was focused on the striker's end; on the other end, I spoke to the umpire, humming my favourite songs. The pressure was gone," said