Virender Sehwag India’s former batter Virender Sehwag says overseas leagues don’t offer enough money to attract Indian stars dgtl

While playing for the Indian team, Virender Sehwag got an offer to play in Australia’s Big Bash League. In one word, the former opener of the Indian team turned down that offer. Sehwag revealed the reason for turning down the offer to Adam Gilchrist recently.

The former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman asked Sehwag if Indian cricketers could be seen playing in overseas T20 leagues in the future. In response, Sehwag first jokingly said, “No! Why? There is no need. We are big people. We will not go to any poor country.” I was playing IPL. At that time I got an offer to play in the Big Bash League. I said, ‘Okay. How much will you pay me?’ It was said to pay 1 lakh dollars (now about 84 lakh taka). Then I said, I spend this money only on holidays.”

In words, Sehwag said that he was willing to play cricket league abroad for a month if he was paid at least one million dollars (now about 8.4 million rupees). He said, “I can play Big Bash or The Hundred from a month in another country. They will give me only 1 or 2 lakh dollars (about 1 crore 7 million taka) for that, it can’t be. There is no question of playing for so little money.”

Not only as a cricketer but also as an expert commentator, foreign channels cannot sign contracts with Indian cricketers due to financial reasons, Sehwag said. Speaking to Gilchrist, he said, “Once I got a call from Sky Sports saying they wanted me as a pundit. After hearing the offer, I said, ‘Give up hope of getting me. Because you can’t pay my price.’ After that they tell me, ‘Tell me how much you want.’ I said again, “I mean, you can’t pay me.” Even after that I was asked to tell how much money I want. I said, “Okay, I have to pay 10 thousand pounds (about 1 million 36 thousand rupees now) for each day.” After hearing that, the Sky Sports representative told me, ‘You’re right. It is not possible for us to pay this money.

Sehwag is reluctant to stay abroad for long. So as a commentator or expert he demands such money that the concerned foreign channel authorities are forced to back down.