'Rotation not to protect seniors'

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni stirred the hornet’s nest a couple of days ago by stating in a press-do that the seniors were not picked together because of their slowness on the field.

Virender Sehwag sounded a different note on Tuesday, saying that the explanation given to the seniors about the rotation policy by Dhoni was to give more chances to the youngsters in the side, keeping the 2015 World Cup in mind.

“I didn’t know what he said and what’s going on in the media. But he chatted with everyone in a meeting, with Gautam, myself and Tendulkar, and he explained that he wanted to give chances to youngsters so they can play all the matches here.  The next World Cup is also here, so they’ll get to know how the wickets behave in Australia,” Sehwag said.

The crux of Dhoni’s argument was that the slowness of the seniors on the field could cost the team 20 extra runs, but here too, Sehwag begged to differ. “We are the same for the last 10 years. Nothing has changed. All three of us played together in the 2011 World Cup, and we won games. Did you seen my catch today?” Sehwag was referring to the diving catch he took at mid-wicket off Irfan Pathan to dismiss Mahela Jayawardene.

Sehwag also indicated that he would not hold any chat with Dhoni about the contrasting viewpoints expressed about the rotation policy. “Why should I have a chat with him? I am available for all matches. He is the captain, and if he and the coach think a break should be given to the top order, that’s fine, I am okay with that.”

Stressing that there was no discord in the Indian dressing room, Sehwag said he had also played a part in formulating the rotation policy. Perhaps, it was an attempt to diffuse the whole atmosphere.

“We are a happy unit. He is the captain. He can say whatever he wants to say. We are okay with that. In fact, I have been saying for a couple of years that we’ve got to rotate and give more chances to youngsters, because they will play more matches in the coming years. It’s good thinking,” he added.

On the day’s match, he said, “We gave too many runs in the last seven or eight overs, and again the top-order didn’t fire. The way Tendulkar and Gambhir were batting, I thought they would play some good innings, but we lost three early wickets.

“Virat and Raina then built a partnership, but they couldn’t take it till the end. Irfan played really well. We came close to the target, and we didn’t concede a bonus point. So, hopefully in the coming games we will play better and win both the matches and qualify for the finals.”