New Delhi: Former India batsman Virender Sehwag announced his departure from Delhi to play for Haryana in the forthcoming domestic season on Saturday.

Sehwag represented Delhi for 18 seasons since 1997-98 but after several poor seasons that saw him getting dropped for the national team, he decided to make the switch.

“I am really looking forward to playing for Haryana this domestic season. It is an exciting setup with a lot of youngsters in the side,” Sehwag said in a statement.

“It will be nice to share the dressing room with a side that is bubbling with youth. I will be looking to share my experiences with them and hopefully shape some of their careers in the process.

I also hope to score well for Haryana this domestic season. I would like to thank the DDCA for their support to me over the years and would particularly like to thank Mr. Arun Jaitley, who in his erstwhile role as the president of Delhi District Cricket Association, guided and supported all the players and particularly me.”

Haryana Cricket Association (HCA) president Arvind Chowdhry said, “We are honoured that Viru has decided to represent our state association in domestic cricket. His contribution both on the field and in the dressing room has been superb. We are delighted and looking forward to a successful season ahead.”

HCA secretary Anirudh Chaudhry was eager to have the experienced Sehwag in the side.

“To have someone like Mr. Virender Sehwag will add a lot of experience to our young side. This is a team that is keen to perform and make a statement in the domestic season and Viru is just the right man to guide them,” he said.

“The team is bound to benefit from Viru’s leadership, experience and batting abilities. We look forward to having him in our side and start training with the team soon.”

Sehwag has played 104 Tests for India scoring 8586 runs and 23 hundreds.