Cricket’s latest avatar was on display at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the last few days as the inaugural T10 League got underway.
The revolutionary 10-over format saw a host of international stars, past and present, battle it out for supremacy in the four-day tournament.
One such retired star was former Indian swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag who captained the Maratha Arabians which bowed out in the semi-finals after their loss to eventual winners Kerala Kings.
The 39-year-old was delighted to return to Sharjah, a ground which holds many special memories to the Delhi man.
“It’s a good atmosphere at Sharjah and I have good memories of this ground when Sachin Tendulkar scored his two hundreds in the tournaments for India so it always good to come back here and play some games,” Sehwag said at the culmination of the tournament.
The World Cup winner was full of praise for the latest format and believes that it could be the perfect vehicle for the ICC to take cricket back into the Olympics.
“I think T10 is a way forward. If the ICC wants to take cricket to the Olympics I think this is the format for that since it finishes in 90 minutes. I played two games and enjoyed that experience,” Sehwag explained.
The maiden league show some exhilarating action.
It was a bittersweet experience for the former India man who returned to the cricket field after a long time. Competing in a fast-paced format took its physical toll on Sehwag.
“It was a little tough since I have pains in my body and those came back. My back got stiff and sore and I got a spasm because I have not been playing but it is good to be back on the field,” the Maratha Arabians skipper bemoaned.
Though he is the sole Indian to have participated in the inaugural edition, Sehwag believes more retired cricketers from the country could join the league in the years to come.
“You never know. There are a lot of players who will retire in the coming years who can come here and play in the T10 League,” he stated.
Being an IPL mentor, Sehwag believes that fresh talent from the T10 League could make their mark in India’s premier T20 competition.
The league could thrown up new talents according to Sehwag.
“The young players from UAE and the Afghanistan are playing in this league and as a mentor of the IPL I watch a lot of players and you never know when these players come in the IPL auction. You know the players (here) have a capability to score runs and take wickets,” he explained.
When asked whether T10 could impact ODI cricket, Sehwag was emphatic in his response.
“No I do not think so. I don’t think T20 cricket affected the 50-over game and neither will T10 cricket because they are different formats and have different crowds.
“You cannot play T10 cricket everywhere in the world since this is the first league but in coming years you never know.”
