Virender Sehwag, the swaggering former Indian opening batsman, is considered one of the greatest entertainers in cricket history. His destructive batting style and fearless approach raise his fan following all around the world. But like every cricketer, Shewag’s career also has its ups and downs, and one of the most tumultuous periods in his career was during his time as a member of the Indian Cricket team under coach Greg Chappell.

However, Sehwag was seen as the natural successor to Sourav Ganguly as the captain of team India Cricket team

Sehwag had already proven himself as a great leader, having led India to a test series victory over South Africa in 2005. But things started to collapse and unravel under Chappell’s coaching.

Chappell, who was a former Australian cricketer, was known for his aggressive and disruptive coaching style. Even he was not afraid to make big changes and shake up the team without any hesitation. 

And this often led to clashes between players and other members of the coaching staff. Sehwag, who had been a crucial part of the team under Ganguly, found himself struggling under Chappell’s leadership.

In an interview, Sehwag opens up his mouth about the difficulties he faced during Chappell’s period. He stated that Chappell forced him to change his batting style and play in a defensive way. Sehwag who is attacking in nature is more difficult to play defensively. And Sehwag also found it difficult for him to adapt to the new playing style. He also adds that Chappell does not care about Sehwag’s concerns and doesn’t provide back support which he needed to succeed.

As a result, Sehwag struggled on the field and this led to his being dropped from the team. He said that this was the bad phase of his cricket career and he felt that he lost his fan support. But he also that this experience helps him a lot and helped him to become a great long-time player for team India.

Quite apart from his difficulties, Sehwag persisted in working hard and raising his level of play.  He also added at last foreign coaches may not be the best option for team India. 

“I have always believed that in our country, we have good coaches who can manage the Indian team. Hence, we don’t need foreign coaches. But when I was playing, I asked this question to my seniors ‘Why do we need another foreign coach after John Wright?’. All of them, who had spent a lot of time with Indian coaches, said that Indian coaches at times get biassed towards players – some become favourites and those who don’t are pushed at the end of the line. So when a foreign coach comes, he will look at them differently. But to be honest, even a foreign coach can feel the pressure of dealing with a Tendulkar or a Dravid or a Ganguly or a Laxman,”

Sehwag said.