Vengsarkar said the selectors had initially decided to leave out Sehwag but Dravid insisted on having the hard-hitting batsman in the ranks and they eventually agreed.

"I would always back the captain. When I was leading India, I never got the team I wanted and I didn't want Rahul to go through the same. He insisted on having Sehwag and that made the difference", he told Karan Thapar in CNN-IBN's "Devil's Advocate", to be telecast on Sunday.

Vengsarkar admitted Sehwag did not feature in the initial scheme of things for his prolonged run-drought but enjoyed backing from some quarters in the team.

"It was a bit of gamble (to have him in the side)...But I think he has done extremely well in the past. Besides, he has won a lot of matches for India. We are hoping that he would do well in the World Cup," he added.

Since taking over from Kiran More, Vengsarkar's tenure so far has seen return of the old guards and the former India captain insisted experience could not be done away with.

"It's important to have fresh legs in the field but the fact of the matter is that you need to win also. And for that you need experience," he explained.