Sachin volunteered to bat at no. 4 after Virender Sehwag became a regular opener, reveals Ajay Ratra

Former India wicket-keeper batsman Ajay Ratra has revealed how Sachin Tendulkar sacrificed his batting position for Virender Sehwag. Ratra feels that both Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar should be credited for promoting Virender Sehwag as an opening batsman.

“Sachin was doing so well as an opener at that time but Sehwag had to open. So Sachin offered to bat at No.4. Virender Sehwag then opened with Dada (Sourav Ganguly) for that left and right combination. If Sachin hadn’t agreed then Viru probably would have had to bat lower. He wouldn’t have got the chance to open in ODIs and the story could have been a lot different,” said Ratra in an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times.

In 2001, India had lost a few matches of the tri-series to Sri Lanka and New Zealand, and Sachin was benched due to an injury. It was then that Ganguly sent Yuvraj Singh and Amay Khurasiya at the top, but the decision backfired. Virender Sehwag, on the other hand, didn’t look settled in the middle-order. It was at that point that Virender Sehwag was promoted as an opener.

The 70-ball century made Virender Sehwag a regular opener

In India’s third match of the tri-nation series against New Zealand, Sehwag opened the batting with Ganguly. India lost the game but Virender Sehwag scored the most runs for the team - 33 runs off 54 balls. In the next two games, Sehwag wasn’t too impressive. But in the third game, Virender Sehwag scored a 70-ball hundred and cemented his place as an opening batsman. Sachin, after returning, volunteered to bat at no. 4

“Sachin took a different role. He volunteered to bat at No.4.He did it for the side. His role was then to bat till the 45th over. And the move worked, Viru became so successful at the top,” said Ratra.