Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag recalls the tough times he had under the coaching stint of Greg Chappell, where he was sidelined due to his poor technique. Sehwag opens up about that one harsh argument that turned a bit aggressive, and the captain of the team, Rahul Dravid, had to intervene and stop the argument between the two.
Introduced by Sourav Ganguly to the Indian cricket team, and a young middle-order batter turned into an aggressive opener, Virender Sehwag was known for his explosive batting at the top. Despite being one of the top opening batters of India, he had to endure a hard phase where he was not scoring runs. This was happening during the era most Indian cricket fans want to forget—when Greg Chappell took over the coaching role of the Indian team, replacing John Wright.
Also read: Three food items Jasprit Bumrah let go to bowl fast without changing action
Sehwag Recalls Heated Argument with Coach Greg Chappell
This era saw Indian cricket face a heavy downfall after reaching its peak under Sourav Ganguly, with frequent disputes between captain and coach, which led to Ganguly getting dropped as captain and player. In the meantime, Sehwag also went through a rough patch, and he recalled the aggressive argument he had with Greg Chappell:
"Greg Chappell’s words hurt me. There was a time when I wasn't scoring runs, and he told me, 'If you don’t move your feet, you won’t score runs at the international level.' I replied back saying, 'Greg, I have scored 6000 runs in Test cricket at an average of more than 50.' He said it doesn’t matter and again told me if I don’t move my feet, I won’t score runs. We had a big argument. Rahul Dravid, who was the captain then, had to separate us. The next day, when I was going to bat, he said, 'Make sure you score runs; otherwise, I will drop you.' I was like, 'Do whatever you want.' Imagine a batter is going to bat, and that's the kind of thing he hears from the coach," Sehwag said on The Life Saver podcast.
Also read: BCCI introduces plate group format for Vijay Hazare Trophy, other 50-over tournaments
Sehwag Proves His Technique with a Stunning 184 Against West Indies
However, after this moment, Sehwag kept his word and played a wonderful knock of 184 against the West Indies and shared how he had to prove to Greg Chappell that his technique worked, and that he could score runs without moving his feet.
"When I took strike, I started smashing the ball and reached 99 runs before lunch. When I was entering the dressing room, Dravid was standing there. I told him, 'Tell your coach not to come near me.' I had my lunch, and after returning, I continued batting. I was out close to tea after scoring 184. Then I looked at him [Chappell] standing in a corner and told him, 'Doesn’t matter if I move my feet or not, I know how to score runs,'" Sehwag concluded.
Virendar Sehwag had a fantastic career in Tests, as he finished with 8,586 runs from 104 matches for India.
Also read: Rinku Singh Personally Invites Shah Rukh Khan to His Wedding Ceremony
