20 January,2009 09:25 AM IST | | PTI
Greg Chappell betrayed the trust of players but Gary Kirsten, his successor as Indian cricket coach, is the "best I have ever seen", India's dashing opening batsman Virender Sehwag said on Monday.
The former South African batting star, Kirsten "doesn't force things on you", Sehwag said in a freewheeling interview to PTI.
Comparing the two coaches, Sehwag indicated that Chappell had tried to get him to change his batting style. "He had his view on my front-foot play, my footwork. The thing with him (Chappell) was that whatever you shared with him, it was promptly disclosed to media and selectors. He talked and that hurt the trust," Sehwag said.
Asked about how Sourav Ganguly played his role in making him an opener, Sehwag said: "Yes, it was in Sri Lanka. I hit gold in the third match with that blistering century off 69 balls (against New Zealand). A lot of youngsters, including me, came to the fore under Dada. Remember, when he took over world cricket was reeling under the impact of match-fixing. He always backed us.
"For instance when I was Man of the Match against Australia early in my career, he assured me that I would play in at least next 30 one-day matches. Even when he promoted me as an opener, he told me to bat without worry as he wouldn't touch me for the next 30-35 games.
"When your captain backs you in this manner, your confidence is sky-high. He was also an extremely aggressive captain."
