Indian Legend on his Exclusion After Being Touted as Potential Skipper

image-lfkouw57Virender Sehwag revolutionized batting in Test cricket (Twitter)

Former Indian cricketer, Virender Sehwag, has revealed that he was in the running for the captaincy of the Indian team when Australian great, Greg Chappell, took over as the coach in 2005. However, Sehwag was unable to secure the coveted position, and he was unceremoniously dropped from the team soon after.

Speaking to News18 Chaupal, the former opener lamented that he was unable to fathom the reasons behind his abrupt exclusion from the team, despite being touted as the potential skipper. He recounted how Chappell had initially named him as the next captain, but events subsequently transpired that prevented him from ascending to the top.

"When Greg Chappell came, the first statement which he gave was that Sehwag will be the next captain. I don't know what happened in two months that I got dropped from the team, let alone become captain," Sehwag said on News18 Chaupal.

The erstwhile cricketer further suggested that foreign coaches may not always be the best option for the Indian cricket team, as they may not fully understand the nuances of Indian cricket culture. 

He argued that Indian coaches possess the necessary acumen to lead the team, but was told that they may sometimes exhibit biases towards certain players, which could prove detrimental to the team's success.

"I have always believed that in our country, we have good coaches who can manage the Indian team. Hence, we don't need foreign coaches. But all of my seniors, who had spent a lot of time with Indian coaches said that Indian coaches at times get biased towards players - some become favourites and those who don't are pushed at the end of the line,” added the Indian veteran.

However, in the legendary batter’s opinion, even foreign coaches can find it daunting to handle big names like Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman in the Indian cricket setup.