Virender Sehwag delighted cricket lovers with his exploits on the field as a swashbuckling opener. Even after retirement, he continues to regale all with his wit on Twitter and as a commentator. But it seems, he has a hidden and interesting talent—that of making prophecies!
Sehwag, recently, revealed that he had predicted in 2007 that Sourav Ganguly would one day become the BCCI president. The former India skipper took charge of the BCCI on October 23.
“It was a Test in Cape Town where me and Wasim Jaffer were out early,” Sehwag wrote in a column for The Indian Express. “Tendulkar was to bat No.4 but couldn't take the field. Out of the blue, Ganguly was asked to go out and bat. This was a comeback series and there was pressure. But the way he batted, the way he handled pressure and tension, only he could do."
Ganguly made a fighting 46 in the above-mentioned second innings, but India went on to lose the match by five wickets.
"That day we all agreed in the dressing room that if anyone among us can become BCCI president, it's Dada. I said he can even be the Bengal Chief Minister. Ek bhavishyavani poori ho gayi, aur ek baaki hai (One of my predictions has come true, the other one remains),” the 41-year-old said.
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Ganguly has always steered clear of politics, though he shares a cordial relationship with West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. However, his selection as the BCCI president, apparently with the “blessings of the old guard and the BJP”, has given rise to speculations that the saffron party backed Ganguly hoping it would help them get a “toehold in maidan (sports clubs) politics, including the CAB”.
Though the parties involved have denied any political understanding in the matter, only time will tell whether Ganguly will take the political plunge in the future, and whether Sehwag's second prediction will come true.
