MS Dhoni behind Virender Sehwag's exclusion, hints Sourav Ganguly

Expressing surprise over the dropping of dashing India opener Virender Sehwag, former captain Sourav Ganguly reportedly told a Bengali television channel on Saturday that current team skipper MS Dhoni had a hand in the exclusion.

"I am surprised about the fact that sehwag has been dropped. Such a big decision can't happen without the captains consent. If a captain backs the likes of Laxman, Dravid, Sachin and Sehwag, then it becomes difficult for selectors to drop them. Dhoni definitely had a say on Sehwag's dropping," he told a private news channel in Kolkata on Saturday.

Describing Sehwag as one of the all-time Test cricket greats, Ganguly said Team India will miss his presence.

"He has completely changed the grammar of Test match opening. The sheer number of runs and the manner in which he has scored them, India will miss his presence. His impact in the game is comparable only to greats like Sachin, (Rahul) Dravid and (Sunil) Gavaskar," he said.

"Sehwag should focus on the upcoming IPL and must consider a stint in county cricket to return to form," Ganguly suggested on the TV show.

The southpaw also refused to read much into the India's consecutive Test match wins against Australia in the ongoing four match home series.

"People have a very short memory. I am amazed at some people lauding team India's recent efforts. They seem to have forgotten that we were badly drubbed in 10 out of 13 Test matches we last played," he added.

Sehwag was on Thursday dropped from the squad for the last two Tests against Australia, after failing to perform and impress the selectors.