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The Indian cricket team reached new heights under coach John Wright. He was the first foreign coach to be at the helm of the Indian cricket team from 2000 to 2005. Under him, India won a memorable Test series at home against Australia (which included a win despite being asked to follow-on), drawing a Test series in Australia in 2003–04, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in a series, and reaching the final of the ODI Cricket World Cup. However, there was one controversy, where Wright’s name got involved.
Virender Sehwagone of India’s greatest openers, revealed that Wright once pulled him by his collar after the Indian batter was dismissed cheaply in an ODI match during a tour of England in 2004.
“I was pushed around by John Wright (ex-head coach of team India) in 2004 England tour. He pulled me by my collar after I got out cheaply. I was very angry and said to (the then manager) Rajiv Shukla, How can a gora hit me. Later Amrit Mathur and Rajiv Shukla got me and Wright to patch up,” said Virender Sehwag.
Shukla, who is a top official in the BCCI, revisited the incident recently and revealed how Sachin Tendulkar helped calm the tempers.
“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,” Shukla said on Ranveer Allahbadia’s YouTube channel.
“Everyone decided, the players, to demand John Wright to apologise to Sehwag. I agreed and went to his room, told him that his mandate wasn’t to touch or push players. He 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. He understood but he was under pressure from everyone to demand for an apology. So, Sachin took me to a corner and told me that if I made John Wright apologise, Wright will 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 apologise,” he added.
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