BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla has recently made a jaw-dropping revelation on a fiery episode from the early 2000s involving cricket icons Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and the former head coach John Wright. Notably, at that time, Shukla was serving as India’s manager.
Notably, Virender Sehwag and John Wright were involved in one of the most talked-about controversies in the game of cricket. Actually, Wright had grabbed Sehwag by the collar out of frustration over his casual approach with the bat in the Indian dressing room, and the reason was the former left-handed batter playing lofted shots repeatedly despite his failure.
Rajeev Shukla drops a bombshell on Virender Sehwag-John Wright feud
Even Sourav Ganguly also admitted that this incident had happened during an ODI series against England and Sachin Tendulkar had himself watched everything with his eyes, but he didn’t do anything. However, Sehwag and Wright both have moved on from that incident.
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Now, reflecting on a famous controversy between Virender Sehwag and John Wright, Rajeev Shukla recently shared a fascinating story from that incident. The BCCI vice president revealed how Sachin Tendulkar stepped in and handled the situation like a true leader and defused the situation.
Shukla highlighted how Sachin’s unique way of thinking and leadership skills saved the day, and that’s why he is respected both on and off the field. He revealed that every Indian player demanded that the former head coach apologize to Virender Sehwag, but Tendulkar was not ready and he very smartly solved the issue without any uproar.
BCCI Vice-President reveals how Sachin Tendulkar defused situation
Rajeev Shukla told BeerBiceps on YouTube, “When the Virender Sehwag incident happened, India coach John Wright pushed him. Sehwag was very sad and said that he pushed me, and he was almost crying. Everyone decided, the players, to demand John Wright apologize to Sehwag. I agreed and went to his room, telling him that his mandate wasn’t to touch or push players.”
Furthermore, the BCCI Vice-President revealed that Wright’s reaction was genuine, but Sehwag was pressured by other players to demand an apology. At that time, Sachin Tendulkar advised Shukla against doing that, as forcing Wright to apologize would undermine the coach’s authority over the players.
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He would always give sensible advice: Rajeev Shukla on Sachin Tendulkar
However, Sehwag was also later to understand Wright’s intentions and cleared everything. Shukla further explained, “John said that whatever he did, he did because he takes Sehwag as his disciple, like what a father or guru would do. I told him not to play a particular shot, but he played it again. Today I wanted him to get a century, and he couldn’t make it. So how a father or guru gets angry, I got angry. What he said was genuine, and I told that to Sehwag.”
The former IPL chairman signed off by saying, “He understood, but he was under pressure from everyone to demand an apology. So, Sachin took me to a corner and told me that if I made John Wright apologize, Wright would lose his authority over his players. He would always give sensible advice, and then I made Sehwag understand. Then he himself said that Wright doesn’t need to apologize.”
