Cricketer Virender Sehwag has said India’s World Cup victory was because of a good team and not captaincy.

Speaking on the sidelines of a cricket academy’s inauguration, Sehwag said that both World Cup wins for India came because of a collective effort.

“We had a very strong team during the T20 World Cup and last year’s ODI World Cup. If a captain has a good team with him then only a win is possible. Australia has won three World Cups and it is because of the team and not because of the captain. We feel we won the World Cup because of our capable team and not just because of the captain,” Sehwag said.

While Dhoni’s supporters say that the team’s all round sustained performance was due to his great captaincy, others feel that Team India was the most balanced side in the World Cup. Dhoni led from the front not only with his captaincy acumen but also with his superb individual performance in the final.

Earlier when Mahendra Singh Dhoni accused the seniors of being too slow in the field, Virender Sehwag had responded sharply. The seniors versus juniors debate took an ugly turn after Sehwag took a reference to the catch he had taken to dismiss his Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene.

In an apparent dig at skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sehwag said that he or any of the senior players had never 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.”