New Delhi: Even though it’s been 12 years since Virender Sehwag, one of the most explosive batsmen of his era—often mentioned in the same breath as Viv Richards—retired from international cricket, fans still vividly remember his fearless and outspoken attitude, especially during Greg Chappell’s controversial tenure as India’s head coach. One such episode has resurfaced recently, where Sehwag’s blunt words to then-captain Rahul Dravid about Chappell are back in discussion.
Sehwag was the first Indian to score a triple century in Tests (2004), and the only Indian with two triple hundreds to his name. He narrowly missed a third when he was dismissed for 293 against Sri Lanka in 2009. With 8,586 runs in 104 Tests, 8,273 runs in 251 ODIs, and 394 runs in 19 T20Is, Sehwag has now shared an interesting anecdote from the Chappell era on a podcast.
Speaking on the show, Sehwag recalled:
“Once, Greg Chappell told me something that really shocked me. At that stage, I wasn’t scoring too many runs, and he said, ‘If you don’t move your feet, you won’t score runs. At the international level, foot movement is everything.’ I told him, ‘Look, I’ve scored over 6,000 Test runs at an average above 50.’ But he dismissed it, saying, ‘Forget all that, unless you move your feet, you won’t make runs.’ We had a heated argument, and Rahul Dravid, the captain then, had to step in to calm things down.”
Sehwag added:
“The next day, just before I went in to bat, Chappell told me, ‘Score runs, otherwise I’ll drop you from the team.’ My reaction was: do whatever you want. Imagine the mental state of a batsman walking out to bat under such a threat from his own coach! Still, I decided to forget it and play my natural game. By lunch, I was on 99. While entering the dressing room, Dravid was standing there. I told him, ‘Tell your coach not to come anywhere near me.’ After lunch, I resumed attacking and was eventually dismissed for 184 before tea. When I walked back, I looked at Chappell standing quietly in a corner and said, ‘Whether I move my feet or not, I know how to score runs.’”
Sehwag did not specify during the podcast which match this took place in, but it was from the 2006 Test at Gros Islet against West Indies. In that innings, Sehwag blasted 180 runs off 190 balls with 20 fours and two sixes. Dravid scored 146, and Mohammad Kaif 148, helping India declare at 588 for 8. The match eventually ended in a draw.
