Sehwag's swashbuckling ways
With the Cricket Advisory Committee set to name India's coach for the next two years soon, Sandeep Dwivedi, in the Indian Express, looks at what Virender Sehwag, one of the shortlisted candidates, can bring to the role
ESPNcricinfo staff
18-Jun-2017
Writing in the Indian Express Sandeep Dwivedi busts the stereotypes that surround Virender Sehwag to give an insight into his coaching style that, like his batting, is largely uncluttered and is in favour a "liberal and permissive dressing room atmosphere".
Sehwag had a mischievous smile as he narrated his early days as a mentor, rather a visiting faculty. "I told them that in cricket, it's always your decision. What you want to do is up to you. It is your effort - how much you want to improve your game and how you want to enjoy your game. It's your wish, it's not the coach's or manager's wish. They can't force you to do this and do that. As I was saying this, the coach had a question," Sehwag had recalled the Punjab dressing room scene in a 2015 interview with The Indian Express.
The coach's worries were expected. In a team sport, independent thinkers often get labeled as disrupters, they are seen as selfish spoilers who rock the boat. Anticipating mass absence, or maybe a minor rebellion, at the next training session, the coach blurted out: "What do I do if a player says he doesn't want to practice?" Sehwag's answer would light up the fresh young faces around the room. "I said it is fine as long as he scores runs. Most players start playing the game since the time they are six to seven years old. So, say from the age of 7 to 20, a player has trained for about 13 years. He is likely to get bored, even I get bored, I want to get away from the game. I want to go and watch a movie, listen to music … and then come back to the cricket and enjoy it more."