MS Dhoni never said in team meeting that I am a slow fielder, he told media: Virender Sehwag

The Indian team is on the golden run at the moment with everyone, in the team performing to their best whenever an opportunity is knocking the door. It is turning out to be the serious ‘selection headache’ for the selectors. The selection committee and the team management are finding it really tough to give a chance to everybody in the squad.

The bench strength of the Indian team really deserves the long-run in the international arena for the consistent performance of the team. The core of the Indian team is very young and has to be monitored by the team management. Regular chopping and changing of players will result in younger players drop in confidence and lose motivation to perform better.

Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag questioned the Indian team management for not giving enough game time for young Indian wicketkeeper Rishab Pant. “Rishabh Pant has been left out how will he score runs? If you bench Sachin Tendulkar also, even he won’t score runs. If you feel he’s the match-winner why don’t you play him? Because he’s not consistent?” Sehwag said during the Cricbuzz talk show.

If the same is happening now, that’s wrong: Virender Sehwag

However, Sehwag further claimed that during his playing days, the captain used to talk to the player who’s been made to sit out. “During our time, the captain used to go and talk with the player (in question). Now I don’t know if Virat Kohli does the same or not. I am not part of the team setup. But people say that when Rohit Sharma went to Asia Cup as captain, he used to talk to all the players.”

Sehwag also took an example of MS Dhoni’s captaincy when he termed Sehwag as a slow fielder in the press conference before letting him know directly in the team meeting, “When MS Dhoni said in Australia that the top three are slow fielders, we were never asked or consulted. We got to know from the media. He said at the press conference but not at the team meeting that we are slow fielders. Talk at the team meeting was that we need to play Rohit Sharma who is new and that’s why there will be rotation policy. If the same is happening now, that’s wrong,” added Sehwag.

Pant rose to fame with his breath-taking shots. He was once touted to fill the big boots of MS Dhoni. The swashbuckling left-arm batsman has a century in tough conditions of seam and bounce in England and Australia. The wicketkeeper, who isn’t the regular feature in the team in the recent past, has been replaced by Karnataka opener KL Rahul.

India defeated New Zealand in the fourth T20 international in the Super over on Friday to make it 4-0 lead over the Kiwis in the five-match T20 series. India tested the bench strength but didn’t include Pant. However, Pant, who is in and out of the team, will be hoping for consistent changes in the team to prove his worth as a player.