Former India captain Virender Sehwag has raised doubts over the future of some of the in-form batsmen performing in IPL 2026.
Sehwag said that despite the players performing well in the tournament, there is not necessarily a place for them in the Indian national team, especially in the T20I format.
In March, India became the first team to win consecutive T20 World Cup titles, showcasing amazing quality in the team. Over the past few years, many batsmen have showcased their hitting ability with good performances in the IPL but have not been able to make it to India’s T20I team.
Sehwag specifically talked about Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar and Shreyas Iyer. Despite a successful IPL, these three have been unable to make a place in the Indian T20I setup.
“Where is the place in the Indian team?” – Virender Sehwag
Sehwag was talking to Cricbuzz and was asked about Dinesh Karthik’s recent statement.
Karthik, who currently serves as the batting coach and consultant of Royal Challengers Bangalore, had said that the Indian selectors will no longer be able to ignore Devdutt Padikkal’s good form in the IPL.
In IPL 2026, Padikkal has scored 208 runs in 7 innings at a strike rate of 184 with 3 half-centuries. Padikkal played two T20 matches for India in 2021, but has not been called since.
Responding to Karthik’s statement, Virender Sehwag said, “Dinesh Karthik is saying that Padikkal should play for India, but every season such players come forward who feel that they should play for India. But where is the place in the Indian team? There is no place for players like Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Devdutt Padikkal and many more. There is no place for Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal. There are five players who are scoring runs, but who would you drop for them? Where is the place?”
“There is a lot of competition in the Indian team” – Virender Sehwag
Sehwag talked about the consequences of giving chances to marginalized players like him, who he mentioned. He said that senior players can always be rested, but in a team with so much competition, insecurity will eventually arise.
“If a senior player is given a break, some of these players may be given a chance. But in a team where the competition is so tough, I would say I don’t need a break. Because if I take a break and someone else comes in my place and scores runs, I will be dropped,” he said.
Also Read: ‘Shreyas Iyer will surpass MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma’: Irfan Pathan’s bold captaincy prediction
Virender Sehwag told the performance of the players
Virender Sehwag mentioned names like Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal. In 2025, Iyer brought a new twist to his playing style and leadership.
Since the start of IPL 2025, he has scored 812 runs in 22 innings at an average of over 50 and a striking of 177. Iyer has not played a T20I for India since December 2023.
Jaiswal has also not played T20I since July 2024. Since the start of last year, Jaiswal has scored 804 runs in 21 innings at an average of 44.67 and a strike rate of 158. Both will be in action on April 25.
*Data accurate as of April 24, 2025.
