I think it was in 2014, after I'd been dropped from the India team... I got a call from Hindustan Unilever, asking if I could distribute prizes to their most successful dealers, in Mumbai. I was then requested to interact with somebody senior in the organisation... That person, obviously, liked what I said and some of the divisions of HUL were advised to take advantage of my inspirational talk. That put me on the road to becoming a motivational speaker and I began travelling to different cities.

I have a Foundation in my name, I run six academies by the name Sehwag Cricket Academy. Please note they aren't Virender Sehwag academies... I'm their face, but the academies are a way of thanking my late father for everything he did... They're in his name, for I got the family name of Sehwag from him... I've invested in a mango pulp factory around 100 kms from Bangalore... Soon I'll be launching the Virender Sehwag Brand App as well, which will be aimed at engaging with the many loving fans I've been blessed to have. T-shirts and caps can be bought through the App and profits will go to my Foundation, which tries to help those individuals who have lost an arm or a leg.

No. I deliver exactly the way I'd deliver over the 22 yards! Thankfully, things fall in place as soon as I begin talking.

In Test cricket, not in the shorter formats. In ODIs, for example, we have Rohit Sharma... Rohit has three 200s in ODIs. Can't understand how, despite that, Rohit doesn't figure in our Test team... Makes no sense... He's been around for over 10 years, but has played only 25 Test matches... Besides Rohit, there's Shikhar Dhawan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni... Manish... There are batsmen who have delivered.

When I was young, my father (late Krishan Sehwag) said something which never left me... I used to spend hours and hours travelling from Najafgarh to my school in Vikaspuri, then to Lajwanti Garden to practice at the Kranti Star Sports Club before coming back home... When I practiced with the Madras Club, I had to head to Jamia Millia... Besides studies, I also played at the Government Boys Senior Secondary School where Mr. Amar Nath Sharma was the coach... The long journeys were a daily time-consuming ritual... One day, my father commented that it would be better if I stayed in the vicinity of the cricket facilities. I replied that would be expensive and a drain on our family's resources. My father then said that if I ever earned enough from cricket, I should try and build a boarding school which would include facilities for sport. My father reminded me in 2005 or thereabouts and I resolved to start a school which would definitely have facilities for cricket. The idea of the SIS was born then. It's a huge regret that my father passed away in 2007 and, so, couldn't see the realization of one dream of his.

I've been working hard on cricket in the last 15 years and can't do politics right now. Will think about it later. The option of Rajya Sabha is better... As you have got Sachin (Tendulkar) there, you can do the same for me also.

I think what the IPL did to Indian cricket is that it gave unknown players to the Indian team. If they play only for their first-class team, they will take at least five to six years to come and play for India. But through IPL, those players who have talent and who did well in one season were part of Team India the following year. Ravindra Jadeja is one of them and so is Yusuf Pathan. Recently Deepak Hooda, fast bowlers (Mohammed) Siraj and (Basil) Thampi got picked (in the Indian squad) because of their IPL performance. The IPL is giving unknown players to the Indian cricket team, Indian cricket fans and the same thing happened with other countries. Look at David Warner and Maxwell. IPL is a great platform for players to showcase their talent and it has really fat-tracked players' growth.

The IPL benefited me financially because when I played for India, it was Rs 2 lakh per game, Rs 5 lakh for Test matches and then suddenly in the IPL, you get a Rs 10-crore or Rs 12-crore contract. You are then financially secure and you can work more on fitness and perform for both IPL and India. The moment you get dropped from the Indian squad, prices drop which we have seen in case of a lot of players, especially Yuvraj, Gambhir and Harbhajan. Since they are not playing for India, they did not get Rs 10 or 12-crore contract.

The IPL is the biggest league in the world and one of the favourites (among various leagues) in the world because any one player, playing cricket anywhere in the world, wants to play in the IPL. So, it shows that the credibility and publicity of the IPL is so big that even an uncapped player, who is a player of some other country, wants to play in this league.

The IPL is the biggest because all nations' players are playing in it, which you would not find in any other league, such as Big Bash, Caribbean Premier League or Bangladesh Premier League where Indian players are not present. That's why those leagues are not as big. Only in the IPL all world-class players are playing and that is why IPL is the best in the world.

I didn’t face any challenge. After their stories, I was very lucky because cricket is a very big game in India, and wherever you go, you can get cricket facilities. But look at these guys. They hardly get any facilities, and still, they are fighting and participating in the Olympics, it’s an amazing story. So, as a cricketer, I don’t think I had any struggle in my early days.

No, because I was playing a game of cricket, so my hero was Sachin Tendulkar. I was watching him on television, and trying to copy him outside the television. So that was my childhood gone. And when I was growing up, I was watching a lot of badminton, lawn tennis, wrestling, (the latter) because Sushil Kumar lived near my house in Najafgarh and he was practicing in one of the akhadas, and we watched a lot of Kushti (Hindi for wrestling). So that kind of sport I like to watch.

I like the concept (of Umeed India). I got a lot of offers from other channels to host an entertainment show, laughter show. But I didn’t take it up as it didn’t inspire me, and that kind of shows I don’t like to do. Umeed India, taking athletes interview, it inspires me. I want to see them, I want to hear their stories, and I want to see how they’re preparing for the Olympics. So actually I want to get to know that, because that’s why I signed this show, and I’m loving it. We’ve finished almost six to seven episodes, and now in coming days I’ll finish six more, and I’ll get to know more stories about other athletes, and get to meet other athletes as well. So I’m very happy that I'm doing this show.

Do you think I'm that knowledgeable? I never thought like that and I knew my game better than anyone else. When I was growing up, I played a lot of ten- and 12-over games, and I would bat in the middle order. I got only ten-odd balls to face and I tried to score as much as I could. I applied the same approach in domestic and international cricket and people were appreciating my strike rate being more than 80 or 90 in Test cricket. I was just playing my game and not thinking that I have to score quickly or do something different except when I joined the team and wanted to bat like Tendulkar. I realised there could be only one Tendulkar and I changed my stance and backlift. I realised I should change my game and I did it. After that, I was playing with my own technique.

I think it is a platform for a young Indian player. If you look at 2000-01, when I joined the team, we took 20 games to get used to international cricket. Now, someone like Shikhar Dhawan, who has played in the IPL, is used to the pace, and he scored 180-odd on Test debut against Australia. When I or Yuvraj joined, our game was not great and we took 20-25 games to score 150 or 100. Look at KL Rahul. He went to Australia and got a hundred in his second Test there. That's the impact the IPL has had on a domestic player. There has been the negative impact of spot-fixing and match-fixing but it is the individual player's responsibility to look after that because if a player wants to do that it is difficult to stop him. It is the individual player's responsibility to play fairly.

I don't know because when you play you don't realize the kind of impact you are making. You want to play day in and day out. If you ask the same question to Warner, he'll tell you that he is just playing his natural game. When he retires, people will say that he was an impact player in Test cricket. No other Australian opener played like that other than Michael Slater, who was very aggressive in Test matches as an opener. You don't realize that when you play. You only realize that when you retire.

What is the harm if a domestic player plays in the IPL? It is only the good players who get selected to play. Give me one player who is not good and playing in the IPL. If he's good enough, he can get selected for India as well, as it is a platform. A lot of players like Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan, Warner, and Glenn Maxwell were noticed at the IPL first. It is a platform for players all over the world and not just Indian players. If a player is playing the IPL and earning money, it is not his fault that he is not playing for India. He is not quitting the game. He is playing first-class, one-day cricket and the IPL. If the selectors don't pick him, what can the player do?

I played three seasons and the gap between matches is three or four days. You play eight games in a row and only get three or four days off. You play one-dayers immediately after that and it is not fair on the fast bowlers to play back-to-back one-day games. Batsmen and spinners can manage. That's how Mohit Sharma got injured and he could not be a part of the Indian team. If you give two days off, his body will get rest and he can play. That's the problem. They want to finish first-class cricket as soon as possible instead of giving it more time. I would give this suggestion to the BCCI. If they can consider this, and give respect to domestic cricket and the same rest period as international cricket, players have a chance of performing better. You can start in October and finish in March or February. Let's have a five-match window for domestic cricket. You have eight games, followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final, and give proper rest periods, which will keep players fresh. I faced this problem as captain of Haryana - the players were not getting enough rest and it was difficult to play four four-day matches with a three-day break. My team bowled 150 overs and we had to bowl again after three days as I lost the toss. It is asking too much and difficult for the fast bowlers. We have to give longer breaks if you want to produce good fast bowlers.

Yes. It is not just Delhi. There are other associations which have problems as well. You need to change things at the Under-19 and U-16 level because that's the problem area. If you pick over-age players, it is a problem that needs to be identified. If you have a player whose name and stature is big, you won't have this problem.

I never played U-16 and played two years of U-19 because I scored 150-odd for my club against the Delhi state team and hit 17 sixes. That is when they realized that I existed and could change the game.

The 293 against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, because we won that match and became the top-ranked Test team. The Chennai Test was drawn and the Multan Test was the first of that series. We won another match and the series but 293 was the most satisfying. I took signatures of all the players on the shirt I had worn in that innings.

There were two opportunities. When I scored 319, there were two days to go, and three days were left when I scored 293. I regret it as I had an opportunity but missed it. I am happy that I am the only one to have three scores in excess of 290.

We had a good relationship. People complained that I didn't thank him but I thanked all my colleagues. So that includes him.

Yes, but you have to ask Dhoni as well. We went to London to play a charity game this year and had a good chat. That shows that we are friends because only friends have a chat, or else you mind your own business. We spoke about Indian cricket and strategies and we had a good time.

I'll be a friend more than a coach. The moment you think I'm the head, you don't do the right things. If you're a friend, you let them do what they want, and that's the best part about cricket because everyone has a different mindset and you need to understand what they want to do and how they want to improve. I will just guide them the way I spoke to Warner, Maxwell, David Miller, Manan Vohra or Gurkeerat Mann. Gurkeerat is a good example as he doesn't practice for two or three hours in the nets but is always ready for the game. He has to tune his mind and I talked to him a lot and understood how he thinks. I gave him a couple of ideas and told him that he has to get 200 or 300 in domestic cricket to play Test cricket. He scored a double-hundred and is now a part of the Test team as well as the limited-overs teams.

Yes. When I joined the team there were expectations that we will not do well abroad, but we did well in England, Australia, South Africa and the West Indies under Sourav's captaincy. We never won a series under him but when Dravid took over, we won in the West Indies and England. We started winning outside India under Sourav, though we didn't win a series despite coming close to defeating Australia in 2003-04. I was not a part of the team that won in England under Dravid but I was a part of the team in the West Indies and I contributed by scoring runs. We were proud of that team and these youngsters have to score outside Asia, like Virat, Vijay or Rahul have done. The one thing they have to realise when touring outside Asia is that they have to match the home team's first-innings performance. If they score 500 and you score 475, you are in the game because they will try to win the match and they will lose.

With my record, everyone will cheer till the time I am alive but I want to be remembered as a good human being who helped a lot of people. We still remember Don Bradman for his average and hundreds. People will remember my record but I want to be remembered as a person who helped a lot of cricketers when they were going through a rough patch.

Yes, we are targeting a big this year because our budget is bigger this year. We have around Rs58 crores to make a team. During previous IPL editions, we only had Rs 38-40 crores to make a team, now we have Rs. 20 crores more.

Yes absolutely, there are 2-3 players who can fetch more. In an auction, when a team wants a specific player and there are a couple of other teams too, a bid that starts for Rs. 2 crores can end up going till even Rs. 20 crores. We saw last time, Mumbai Indians didn’t have the money to buy Ben Stokes so he went for Rs. 14 crores. This time, everyone has the money for Ben Stokes. So maybe, he can cross Virat Kohli’s number.

I think an Indian player’s value is more in the IPL. When we recruited Axar Patel three years back, he was an uncapped player. He came to Punjab for Rs 30 lacs and since then, has played for India. If he would have been part of the auction, he could have definitely fetched Rs. 8-10 crores. He is a useful player like Ravindra Jadeja. Axar is in his category. He is a bowling all-rounder, which is necessary, and he can bowl 4 overs. He has batted extremely well in a few matches last season. He is a big hitter. For the past 2 years, we have been trying to improve his batting. Then, he can become the perfect all-rounder.

I was not shocked, because every team has their own thinking. I was not shocked when Delhi Daredevils did not decide to retain me after having played there for the past 6 years. I too was part of the auction then. I am not surprised. Many teams are parting with their old players because their price at the auction will be less, then maybe they might retain them. This could be their strategy of using RTM.

No. Gayle is now getting old. He is not the same Gayle that he once was. Last year, he played in the IPL and his performance wasn’t at that level that he was once renowned for. Teams take into account this factor when they enter the auction. Maybe RCB might go after Gayle again at the auction.

I think it is a platform for a young Indian player. If you look at 2000-01, when I joined the team, we took 20 games to get used to international cricket. Now, someone like Shikhar Dhawan, who has played in the IPL, is used to the pace, and he scored 180-odd on Test debut against Australia. When I or Yuvraj joined, our game was not great and we took 20-25 games to score 150 or 100. Look at KL Rahul. He went to Australia and got a hundred in his second Test there. That's the impact the IPL has had on a domestic player. There has been the negative impact of spot-fixing and match-fixing but it is the individual player's responsibility to look after that because if a player wants to do that it is difficult to stop him. It is the individual player's responsibility to play fairly.

What is the harm if a domestic player plays in the IPL? It is only the good players who get selected to play. Give me one player who is not good and playing in the IPL. If he's good enough, he can get selected for India as well, as it is a platform. A lot of players like Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan, Warner and Glenn Maxwell were noticed at the IPL first. It is a platform for players all over the world and not just Indian players. If a player is playing the IPL and earning money, it is not his fault that he is not playing for India. He is not quitting the game. He is playing first-class, one-day cricket and the IPL. If the selectors don't pick him, what can the player do?

The 293 against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, because we won that match and became the top-ranked Test team. We won another match and the series but 293 was the most satisfying. I took signatures of all the players on the shirt I had worn in that innings.

I'll be a friend more than a coach. The moment you think I'm the head, you don't do the right things. If you're a friend, you let them do what they want, and that's the best part about cricket because everyone has a different mindset and you need to understand what they want to do and how they want to improve. I will just guide them the way I spoke to Warner, Maxwell, David Miller, Manan Vohra or Gurkeerat Mann. Gurkeerat is a good example as he doesn't practice for two or three hours in the nets but is always ready for the game. He has to tune his mind and I talked to him a lot and understood how he thinks. I gave him a couple of ideas and told him that he has to get 200 or 300 in domestic cricket to play Test cricket. He scored a double-hundred and is now a part of the Test team as well as the limited-overs teams.

Experience counts and I say that from my own experience of three World Cups - 2003, 2007 and 2011. We made the final in 2003 and won in 2011, with only 2007 a disaster. Ideally, the experience of 100 ODIs would be great, but even between 50-100 would be very handy in absorbing pressure. So, players with experience and a few not that experienced is what I'd like.

I'd be charged up because you don't want to finish on the losing side. I wanted to score or, at least, take a crucial catch or effect a match-influencing run out. Kuch kar dikhana rehta tha and it would be really tough to stay relaxed.

If that was so, then Hanuma Vihari wouldn't have played for India, for his last appearance in the IPL was in 2015. Of course, quite a few have first got noticed in the IPL and, then, played for India.

The bowlers' reputation didn't affect me, but it's not that I didn't prepare for the bowlers. I'd study their footage, look at their strengths and then decide to target their weak spots... Let nobody be under a wrong impression that success will come at the highest level without adequate preparation. It doesn't happen that way...

It is embarrassing, yet it makes me feel very happy that I am compared to my role model. I don't think I am half of what he is. I do copy him, but his records and his style cannot be touched by anyone. I was and even today I am his fan.

There was no difficulty because I did not change my game. I scored a hundred at Nottingham where the ball was swinging in the same manner that I play in one-day cricket. There is a very slight attempt at restricting some shots but other than that I am much the same. I have been asked to stay at the wicket and take the shine off the ball so the middle-order batsmen can come in and score their runs. But as an opener I am different because I am a stroke player. Even by playing your strokes you can take the shine off the ball. I am trying to leave the balls outside the off-stump.

It makes you feel light. Even if I fail in four innings now I am sure I will not be thrown out. If you are permanent in the team you are more confident and want to give all you have without fearing the risk of losing your place.