Only because Virat Kohli came and asked me in person, I applied for the post of India coach in 2017: Open-hearted Sehwag

Delhi: Virender Sehwag has said that he applied for the position of coach of the Indian team in 2017 because Virat Kohli came and asked him in person. The Indian team has had conflict between the coach and the captain from time to time. During Craig Chappell’s tenure as coach, he and then captain Sourav Ganguly had a falling out. There was no proper understanding between them. As a result, Ganguly was removed from the captaincy and Rahul Dravid was appointed as the captain. Then again during Anil Kumble’s tenure as coach, he and captain Virat Kohli did not have a good understanding.

The rivalry between Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble was obvious. India lost the 2017 Champions Trophy final and lost the trophy. Anil Kumble’s coaching tenure ended with that series and he stepped down as coach. After that, Ravi Shastri was appointed as the head coach of the Indian team and he was the head coach till the T20 World Cup in 2021. Apprentice tenure is 2 years. Since there was a good understanding between Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli, in 2019, Ravi Shastri was given an extension of 2 more years. After Ravi Shastri stepped down in 2021, Rahul Dravid was appointed as the coach. In this case, after Anil Kumble stepped down in 2017, Virender Sehwag also applied for the position of coach. But Ravi Shastri was selected as the head coach. Virender Sehwag has opened up about applying for the coaching post. Speaking about this, Virender Sehwag said that if Virat Kohli and Amitabh Chaudhary, who was the BCCI secretary, had not asked me to apply for the coaching post, I would not have applied. Chaudhary met me and said that there was no proper understanding between Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble. They told me that Kumble’s tenure ends with the 2017 Champions Trophy and asked me to apply for the post. That’s why I applied. But I am not interested in coaching. Sehwag said, “Coming from a simple farming family, my contribution in cricket to the Indian team has given me satisfaction.”