Wouldn’t have applied if Virat Kohli had not approached me: Sehwag recalls being offered India coach job
Virender Sehwag recalls being offered India coach job
The Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid-led Indian team is gearing up for the third and final ODI versus Australia, in Chennai, with the series levelled at 1-1. India will be eager to win the ODI series with the 50-over World Cup set to be held in India, which will be Dravid's last assignment as the head coach after taking over from Ravi Shastri in late 2021.
Before Dravid, Shastri coached India from mid-2017 till early November 2021. Prior to Shastri, it was Anil Kumble -- former Indian spinner and captain -- who coached India for a year. Under him, India beat New Zealand, England, Bangladesh, and Australia at home and reached the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy where Men in Blue lost to Pakistan.
When Kumble's initial one-year contract was about to end, there were rumours of a rift between then captain Virat Kohli and him. Thus, the search for a new coach began during Kumble's tenure end and not many know that former Indian opener Virender Sehwag had also applied for the top job.
"I wouldn’t have applied if Virat Kohli and then BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary hadn’t approached me. We had a meeting, and he (Choudhary) told me that things weren’t working out between Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble we want you to take the coaching position. He told me that Kumble’s contract will expire after the Champions Trophy in 2017 and then you can travel to West Indies with the team", Sehwagrevealed while speaking onNews18 India Chaupal.
Also read:Virender Sehwag names Indian star who comes close to his style of batting, shares an advice for him
During the same interaction, Sehwag was asked if he has any regrets about not captaining Team India. To this, he said, "Not at all, I’m happy with what I achieved. Coming from a small family of farmers from Najafgarh I got the opportunity to play for India, got so much love and appreciation from fans and even if I would have captained Team India I would have gotten the same respect.”
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Sehwag had a stellar run in international cricket, amassing8,586, 8,273, and 394 runs in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is respectively.