A lot has been said about Ravi Shastri’s selection as head coach of Indian Cricket Team and Virat Kohli being instrumental in it. There have been many supporting his selection while others being against it.
However, just now the reason for which Virender Sehwag lost the head coach job to Ravi Shastri has been revealed.
According to a report by Times of India, Virender Sehwag wanted to bring a team support staff along with him and Kohli tried explaining to Sehwag that there is a professional set-up in place, which has worked with the team for long and understands the team.
Reportedly, Sehwag had become more confident about his coaching after his stint with Kings XI Punjab as a mentor. He applied for the post after a BCCI official pushed him. An insider was reported by TOI as saying-
“After his stint as mentor of Kings XI Punjab, Viru was growing more confident by the day that he had the potential required to work at a higher level in a similar capacity. It was then that a senior BCCI official asked him to apply (for the role of India coach) if he could make up his mind.”
In his proposal, Sehwag suggested to bring in a team of support staff that would include physiotherapist Amit Tyagi and Kings XI Punjab assistant coach Mithun Manhas along with him. This, however, did not go down well with Kohli, who had reservations about the idea. According to the insider, Kohli explained to Sehwag-
“Paaji, I have a lot of respect for you for what you can bring to the table but you have to understand that there is a professional set-up in place, therefore this cannot happen. The rest is up to the CAC.”
He added-
“There is a support staff in place and has worked with this team for a while now. In fact, there are individuals who understand the needs of team members on an individual basis.”
According to the report, it was this proposal that helped Shastri claim the job.
The source said-
“What went in Shastri’s favour was also the fact that he understood the importance of the work ethic put in place by the existing support staff members who have worked with the team for close to three years.”
Well, we just hope the new coach fits well in the space and leads the team towards more successes. Fingers are crossed and we’ll know a lot in upcoming few matches.
