Prolific opener Virender Sehwag has been ruled out of the remainder of the Indian Premier League with a shoulder injury, reports said Monday, depriving the event of its current top scorer.
Sehwag, captain of the Delhi Daredevils franchise, has decided to undergo surgery as soon as possible and could also miss India’s tour of the West Indies starting next month.
“It will be a miracle if he plays another match,” P.B. Vanchi, director of GMR Sports, owners of Delhi Daredevils, was quoted as saying by the cricinfo website.
Sehwag, 32, currently leads the IPL batting charts with 424 runs from 11 matches, the highlight being a sizzling century against Deccan Chargers on Thursday.
With three league games to go, Delhi are seventh in the points table and have a slim chance of making it to the knockout round.
“He has a problem. In the last match too, he struggled. The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) is making the arrangements for the surgery,” Vanchi said.
“They are waiting for a date. If he needs the surgery we are not going to be coming in the way.”
Sehwag has been troubled by the injury for some time and was declared fit for the World Cup only after undergoing intensive rehabilitation in Bangalore.
Though he did not bowl during India’s title-winning World Cup campaign, Sehwag finished seventh in the run charts in the tournament, including a century in the opening game against Bangladesh.
Sehwag has scored 7,694 Test runs and another 7,760 in one-dayers, averaging more than a run a ball in the shorter format.
