Did viru decline offer to play for Essex?

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It could have been Virender Sehwag and not statemate Gautam Gambhir on a plane to England to play for county side Essex for the remainder of this season. According to sources, India’s discarded opener chose not to represent Essex when he was presented with an offer.
Confirmed Paul Grayson, head coach of Essex, “Virender Sehwag was not available.”
Asked who their first choice was between the two, Grayson’s response was, “That I am not going to disclose.”
But he did reveal that they had only one spot for an overseas player.
Sehwag’s coach A.N. Sharma reasoned that he was possibly not interested in playing.
“What I gather is Sehwag was not keen to play. If he chooses to play, any county will welcome him. He has not been able to practice at the academy because of the heavy rains,” he added.
But the real reason could not be ascertained as neither Sehwag nor his wife responded to calls. Sehwag’s unavailability has made way for Gambhir and the club are not complaining.
“We are delighted that Gambhir has agreed to join us for the remainder of the season,” Derek Bowden, Essex County Cricket Club chief executive said.
“With regard to player recruitment this is determined by our cricket committee following recommendations from the coaching staff and team captain,” he added.