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'Sehwag knows nothing about respect. Guys like Dravid, Sachin...': Bangladesh batter savages India great for Shakib dig
The Virender Sehwag-Shakib Al Hasan controversy is starting to snowball.
The controversy surrounding Shakib Al Hasan and Virender Sehwag seems to be snowballing as Imrul Kayes went after the former India opener for his remarks on the star Bangladesh all-rounder. In a recent comment, Sehwag mentioned that Shakib should retire after the Bangladesh captain was dismissed cheaply in the first two games against Sri Lanka and South Africa. However, Shakib came up with a befitting reply for his critics, Sehwag included, scoring an unbeaten 64 to help Bangladesh beat the Netherlands and qualify for the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup.
However, Kayes, one of Bangladesh's most successful openers, targetted Sehwag for his bold statement, questioning whether his 'lack of respect' stems from his inability to garner the same amount of adulation as the likes of legends Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar. Kayes expected better from Sehwag, who has a legendary status in the pantheons of Indian cricketing greats, but his comment on Shakib has not been taken in the greatest of spirits.
"Shakib didn't become Shakib-Al-Hasan in 1 or 2 days. He is the No. 1 ICC all-rounder, not once but for a long time, and across formats. A player like him needs to be treated with respect, which Virender Sehwag didn't get in his career. So he probably knows nothing about respect or giving respect to others," Kayes was quoted as saying by several Bangladesh media outlets.
Indeed, this isn't the first time Sehwag has taken a jibe at Bangladesh. It all began in the 2011 World Cup, when, ahead of India's tournament opener against the Tigers, he dismissed concerns about Bangladesh being a bogey team. Four years ago, Bangladesh had stunned India at the 2007 World Cup, resulting in the Men in Blue's elimination in the first round itself. After India won the 'revenge game', Sehwag rubbed salt into the Bangladeshi wounds when he said the following.
When was Sehwag's first dig at Bangladesh?
"When I came here, the press asked me about the Bangladesh team. I have said before Bangladesh are not good in Tests, but they can compete in ODIs, but today they could not," was his curt assessment about the opposition."
Kayes has not forgotten Sehwag's more such digs and wonders where his upfront behaviour comes from, which was never the case with some of Indian cricket's other greats, especially that Bangladesh are no long pushovers. In December of 2022, Bangladesh registered a 2-1 ODI series win against India, and pushed them during the 2022 T20 World Cup.
"This is not the first time he has said such things about Bangladesh or its cricketers. He did this once earlier as well when he said Bangladesh don't have the ability to pick 20 wickets in a Test match. I don't know what a legendary batter like him thinks before making such statements. Biggies like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid would never pull down a player because they know how to respect other players," he added.
India and Bangladesh are likely to face each other in the Super Eights – possibly on 18th June – as the latter's qualification is all but certain.
