Virender Sehwag was the only candidate to appear for the interview in person. (Source: Kevin D ’Souza)
Virender Sehwag lost the head coach job to Ravi Shastri primarily on one point – his proposal to bring along with him a team of support staff. According to a report by Times of India, India captain Virat 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.
Sehwag had reportedly become more confident about his coaching after his stint with Kings XI Punjab as mentor. The former cricketer applied for the post after a BCCI official nudged 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 said that he would 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 with 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,” Kohli said. “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. “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,” he added.
