Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill spent 6 hours with me but did not ask anything about cricket: Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag reveals an instance where youngsters Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill spent 6 hours with him.

Virender Sehwag recently shared a story of his meeting with the emerging Indian openers, Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill, during an advertising shoot. The former Indian opener narrated this incident following Shaw's long-awaited chance to bat for the Delhi Capitals team, which marked his first appearance since April 20. Shaw made a resounding impact upon his comeback, smashing an impressive 54 runs off just 38 deliveries, thereby making a significant contribution to DC's formidable total of 213/2 overs. Notably, Shaw had endured a relatively lackluster performance in the first six matches of the IPL 2023, scoring only 47 runs. This led to his exclusion from the team, as Phil Salt was given the opportunity to open alongside Warner.

Making the Most of Experience: Virender Sehwag's Viewpoint on Young Players and Seeking Guidance

During their conversation, Virender Sehwag expressed the viewpoint that young players should make the most of the experience of senior and former cricketers by seeking their guidance. However, he disclosed that despite spending six hours together during the ad shoot, neither Shaw nor Gill initiated a single conversation about cricket with him. Virender Sehwag went on to reveal his approach to Sunil Gavaskar during India's tour of Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy in 2003-04. As the sole Indian batsman to have scored two triple centuries in Test cricket, Virender Sehwag was unambiguous in stating that talent alone cannot guarantee a successful cricket career.

"He (Prithvi Shaw) did an ad shoot with me. Shubman Gill was also there. None of them talked about cricket for once. We were there for 6 hours. If you want to talk to someone then you have to approach them," Sehwag told Cricbuzz.

"When I was new to the team, I wanted to talk to Sunny Bhai (Gavaskar), So | said to John Wright that I'm still a new player, I don't know whether Sunny Bhai will meet me or not', but you should organise that meeting. So Wright organised a dinner in 2003-04 for me and I also said that my (opening) partner Aakash Chopra will also come so that we can talk about batting.

"So he came and had dinner with us. So, you have to make that effort. Sunil Gavaskar won't make an effort to talk to Sehwag or Chopra. You have to réquest him," Sehwag added.

The Impact of Gavaskar's Suggestions: Virender Sehwag's success story

Sehwag proceeded to share the impact of the invaluable suggestions provided by the esteemed batting great on both himself and his opening partner, Aakash Chopra. Sehwag notably emerged as the highest run-scorer for India in the series, accumulating an impressive total of 299 runs across four matches, with an average of 42.71. These statistics highlight the significant contribution of the batting great's guidance to Sehwag's successful performance during the series.

"He gave his input and we talked for a long time. And we were rewarded for that conversation. But you have to put in that effort. Gavaskar will never make an effort to talk to Virender Sehwag or Aakash Chopra. So one has to make a request for that.

"If Shaw handed such a request so I'm sure someone would have...he is playing for Delhi, so if you wanted to talk, he should have handed a request to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of DC. In cricket, no matter how much talented you are. If you are not mentally up, if you are not fit mentally or don't tune your mind. Then nothing can be done," Sehwag said.

Since his Test debut in 2018, Shaw has played in 5 test matches. Additionally, he has represented India in 6 ODIs and one T20I. However, his last appearance for the national team was in July 2021. With the rise of Gill, Jaiswal, and Gaikwad, Shaw's position in the team has diminished, causing him to slide down the pecking order, especially considering the talented competition from other promising players.