Panaji: A cricket match between India and Pakistan is nothing less than war, former India opener Virender Sehwag said here Friday. Speaking to reporters at an event, Sehwag brushed aside queries on whether he intended to join politics with jestful remarks. He stressed that people should vote for a leader who is decisive, though he refused to take any name. Asked if India should play Pakistan in the World Cup, he said, “There are two points which are discussed, whether we should have a war with Pakistan or not (and whether we should play Pakistan).”
“That is also one point that is discussed. We should do whatever is good for the country’s welfare. When India and Pakistan play a match, it is nothing less than a war. We should win the war, not lose it,” he told reporters at Goa Fest, an annual event organised here by advertising associations. The World Cup will be played in England and Wales between May 30 and July 14 this year. Facing a volley of questions on ongoing Lok Sabha polls, Sehwag said, “I feel a leader should have the courage to take decisions, quick decisions in the interest of the country, in the interest of the Army and the interest of the police.”
He said if people started voting for leaders and not on the basis of party lines, then “half the leaders” wouldn’t get elected. “They (the leaders) get elected because people vote for the party. The person who can take decisions should get elected, irrespective of which party he is from,” he claimed. He said the police and the Army should not be kept “suppressed”, adding that he wanted the country to prosper and not “any particular person”.
Asked if he intended to join politics, Sehwag quipped, “I have always worked on contract. Right from Ranji to the IPL (Indian Premier League), whichever party gives me a good contract, I will join.” On a lighter note, he added, “The contract should not be less that Rs 100 crore.”