The controversial rotation policy, which has sparked of a heated debate among critics and speculation of a rift within the team, took a more confusing turn on Tuesday with Virender Sehwag saying he did not know that fielding abilities had anything to do with it.
In an apparent dig at skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sehwag said that he or any of the senior players had ever been told that their 'slow fielding' was an issue.
"I did not know what he (Dhoni) said and what's going on in media. He told us he wanted to give chance to youngsters who had come here and play the next World Cup. That's what he told us," said Sehwag.
Dhoni, after the crushing defeat against Australia in the ongoing tri-series, had stated the three senior openers --Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir -- were not being picked together in the tournament because they are slow and could be costing the side at least 20 runs.
"Have you seen my catch?" Sehwag snapped back in response, adding "we have been fielding the same way for the last 10 years."
Sehwag was again pressed as to what he thought could be the reasons for Dhoni to suggest that they were costing the team 20 runs in the field.
"But you have to ask Dhoni again. What he told us was to give chance to youngsters and come here and play the next World Cup. That was what he told us," said Sehwag.
"He chatted with everyone, with Gautam and me and Tendulkar, he (said) he wanted to give chance to youngsters so they can play all the matches and prepare themselves for the next World Cup. They would have an idea how the wicket behaves in Australia."
