Kolkata: Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag on Friday, said that he couldn’t end up becoming the head coach of the Indian team because he didn’t have connections with the people in power in the BCCI. He also said that he would never apply for the job again in the future.
Talking to India TV in a chat show, the swashbuckling opener said, “Dekhiye main coach isliye nahi ban paaya kyonki jo bhi coach chun rahe the unse mera koi setting nahin tha. (Look I couldn’t become the (India) coach because I didn’t have any setting (common slang for hobnobbing with decision-makers) with those who were in power of appointing the coach).”
Ravi Shastri, who was considered to be the frontrunner for the job due to his cordial relationship with Indian captain Virat Kohli eventually was named the head coach, much against the wishes of Cricket Advisory Committee member and former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly.
He even revealed that he was misled into applying for the job by a section of the BCCI when he wasn’t very keen on doing so in the first place.
“I never thought of coaching the Indian cricket team. I was given an offer to coach the team. The BCCI (acting) secretary Amitabh Chaudhary and GM (Game Development) MV Sridhar came to me and requested me to think about the offer. I took my time and then applied for the position,” said Sehwag.
Sehwag also went on to say that he had a discussion with Virat Kohli before applying for the top job.
Said Sehwag, “I also had a word with Virat Kohli, he asked me to go for it. It was only then that I applied. If you ask for my opinion, I would say that I was never interested.”
When asked about the backdrop of his application he also added, “I thought since they are requesting me, I should help them. I never thought of applying on my own nor will I ever apply in future.”
The destructive batsman however didn’t end here and even said that he had a talk with Ravi Shastri who had said that he wouldn’t apply for the post. Sehwag further went on to say that he too wouldn’t have submitted his application for the job had he known about Shastri’s intentions.
He said, “When I was in England during the Champions Trophy, I had asked Ravi Shastri that why he hasn’t applied for the post? Shastri then told me that he will not repeat the mistake which he had already made once.”
“If Ravi had applied earlier, then I don’t think there would have been any chance of me applying for the post. I would have never applied,” he added further.