Happy that Dhoni isn't Pune captain anymore, jokes Virender Sehwag
Kings XI Punjab coach Virender Sehwag has joked that the removal of MS Dhoni as the captain of the Rising Pune Supergiants will now give Punjab a chance of beating the Maharashtra-based team. Sehwag also predicted that the Indian team would secure a 3-0 or 3-1 win over Australia in the Test series.
Dhoni was instrumental in Pune's win over Punjab in last season's IPL where he scored 12 runs off the last two balls to secure a memorable victory for the Pune team. However, a day before the IPL auction, Pune decided to relieve Dhoni off his duties and handed the reins of the team to Steve Smith.
"I am happy that he isn't captain because maybe now my team, Kings XI Punjab, can beat this Pune team. On a serious note, I believe that this is an internal decision of the franchise but he is one of the best ever captains India has ever had," Sehwag said, reported PTI.
The 38-year-old, who was a part of two great Indian Test teams, called the current crop of players as the "strongest he had seen" and went on to predict that they would rout Australia 3-0 or 3-1 in the upcoming series.
"The balance that this team has, the quality of their fast bowlers and spinners accompanied by the batting firepower makes this the best Indian team. This team has the capability of winning a Test series abroad," Sehwag added.
Over the last few months, India beat New Zealand (3-0) and England (4-0) in back to back series and followed it up with a win over Bangladesh in the one-off Test in Hyderabad. Sehwag, however, advised caution stating that sooner or later the law of averages does catch up with every team.
"This team has been playing fantastic cricket. They have won 8 of their last 9 Tests and that is a great achievement. But the law of averages catches up with every team and in my reading, there will be a Test in this series where the bowling might not fire or the batsmen will slip up," the former Indian opener said.
But Sehwag wasn't done predicting. All the talk at the moment is about Indian captain Virat Kohli who has scored four double centuries in four consecutive series - a feat that had never been achieved. Sehwag prophesied that by the time Kohli decides to hang up his proverbial boots, he would own all the major records in cricket.
"Virat has matured hugely. He is a world-class player and I think that he might break all records in a format by the time he calls time on his career," Sehwag concluded.
