Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag recalled that he was offered to play the head coach role of the Indian team in 2017 by former BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary. In 2017, there was a fallout between head coach Anil Kumble and then captain Virat Kohli.

Choudhary wanted Sehwag to take over the coaching baton from Kumble after the 2017 Champions Trophy. India was all set to tour the West Indies after their huge loss against Pakistan in the final of the Champions Trophy.

“I would not even have applied if Virat Kohli or the BCCI Secretary at that time, Amitabh Ch0udhary, would not have approached me. He held a proper meeting with me where he said things are not okay between Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli, so they wanted me to apply and become coach. He told you are going to commentate for the 2017 Champions Trophy, so Anil’s contract will end, and you can just take the team to the West Indies from there,” Virender Sehwag said. (via cricketnextofficial)

Sehwag said he wanted to have his own coaching staff on board but that requirement was not fulfilled by the BCCI and thus he rejected the role.

He concluded, “I neither said yes or no. But I said if I go, I would want my staff. Assistant coach, batting coach, bowling coach, fielding coach, physio, trainer, I would have all of my choice. But I did not get the choice to do this so I did not go.”

Eventually, Ravi Shastri was appointed as the team’s new head coach in July 2017. It is well known that Shastri and Virat Kohli share a great bonhomie and the duo took Indian cricket to new heights.

Under Shastri’s tutelage, India qualified for the semifinals of the 2019 ODI World Cup and the final of the WTC cycle 2019-21.