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Ahead of the start of the much-awaited Legends League Cricket, India Maharajas have been struck with a huge blow with their captain Virender Sehwag ruled out of initial phase of the tournament. The 43-year-old is set to miss Match 1 against Asia Lions on Thursday. The fans all over the world were eagerly waiting to see the explosive opener return to cricket field after such a long time but it seems like everyone will have to wait for a little bit more to see Sehwag back in action.
On the eve of tournament, India Maharajas' vice-captain Mohammad Kaif told media about the same and revealed that Sehwag will miss first two matches of the tournament due to some personal reasons. He said, "Sehwag has some personal issues so could not come for the opening match. He may join later, I will lead the Indian side in the first two matches."
Reflecting on the prospect of leading the side in absence of Sehwag, Kaif added, "I have captained in a lot of matches including at the domestic level. I've also been a coach, mentor and do commentary now in my involvement with the game for many years. So it will be a lot of fun. Looking forward to it," Kaif added.
Who will open for India Maharajas in absence of Sehwag?
While Mohammad Kaif will lead the side, the biggest question for India Maharajas will be - Who will open for the side in absence of Sehwag? Notably, there are no players in the squad who batted at top of the order in their career which makes the job of coach John Buchanan quite tricky.
Wasim Jaffer has been added to the squad and he is set to open the innings. There is a possibility that he might be partnered with either Naman Ojha or Subramaniam Badrinath. However, considering it's a T20 game, any of the middle-order batsman could also come to bat at top of the order with some legendary players like Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan available in the squad.
