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We wanted to give Sehwag more freedom, says Kings XI Punjab coach Sanjay Bangar

Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag was not choosen as the captain for Kings XI so as to minimise the pressure on him.

When Kings XI Punjab decided to go with George Bailey as the leader of their side in IPL, there were a few questions raised as to why Virender Sehwag was not considered for the role.

In a recent conversation with TOI, Kings XI Punjab coach Sanjay Bangar said the team’s decision to appoint Bailey as captain was taken after considering his experience with the national side.

“Bailey arrives with a lot of experience under his belt,” said Bangar. “He is someone who has captained in the Australian domestic circuit and also leads the national side in T20s.”

“He comes across as someone who is strong-willed, knows how to handle pressure and has strong work ethics. I am sure we will be able make use of these qualities,” he said.

When asked whether Sehwag’s name came up for the contention of captaincy, Bangar said, “To be honest, it was. But, we wanted Sehwag to express himself with a lot of freedom. We did not want to overburden him and when we conveyed our decision to him, Sehwag was very understanding. The priority for us is to ensure that Sehwag is back at doing what he does best – coming up with those stellar performances.”

“There have been foreign captains (Shane Warne for Rajasthan Royals) under whom teams have won the IPL. Who knows, it might be our turn,” he added.

Bailey was named captain last week, and according to Bangar, it was an unanimous decision.

“He was the unanimous choice. He has got success as a leader in the domestic tournaments like Sheffield Shield in Australia,” Bangar said. “He had also lead Australia in the Twenty20 format. And then the overall type of character he is, who can understand a range of players from the bigger names to ones that have limited ability. We are confident he has the ability to bring out the best from everyone.”

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