Virender Sehwag, who interviewed two athletes at a book launch programme here, also said other sportspersons do not get sufficient facilities comparatively to cricketers.
Virender Sehwag at an event
Former India World Cup-winner Virender Sehwag has come out to say that sporting events like Olympics and Commonwealth Games are more important than cricketing events.
Virender Sehwag, who interviewed two athletes at a book launch programme here, also said other sportspersons do not get sufficient facilities comparatively to cricketers.
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"I always used to think Olympics and Commonwealth Games are bigger than cricket (events). I used to think that these athletes would have been looked after very well, that they would be getting good food, and nutrition along with physios and trainers," said Sehwag.
"But when I met and got to know them (the non cricketers he interviewed for the show), I realised that whatever facilities we (cricketers) are getting, these guys are not even getting 10 or 20% of that. Despite that they are getting the medals. They deserve a lot more than what they get, because they are getting medals for India," he added.
Virender Sehwag, who played 104 Tests and 251 ODIs between 1999 and 2013, also said that cricketers in general don't credit their coaches as much as other sportspersons do.
"Coaches have a big role to play in the life of cricketers but we don't give them the right amount of credit, we tend to keep it to ourselves," Sehwag said.
"We cricketers do not credit our coaches as much as other sportsmen do, maybe because when you start playing for the country, the cricketers forget their coaches because they don't get to meet and speak a lot but in other sports they need their coaches from the start till the end and the coaches also spend a lot of time."
Virender Sehwag launched a book titled 'Umeed', brought out by EPIC channel and Rupa Publications.
Virender Sehwag is the only Indian batsman to score a triple century in Tests and a double century in ODIs.
With inputs from PTI
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