Controversial Incident between Sehwag and Coach Wright Resurfaces

During the Natwest Series in 2002, a notable incident occurred involving former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag and his then-coach John Wright. According to reports, Wright, frustrated by Sehwag’s aggressive playing style and his series of low scores, punched him after a match against Sri Lanka. The match, held at the Oval, saw India chasing a target of 203, which Sri Lanka had set during their innings.

In this particular game, Sehwag alongside captain Sourav Ganguly, opened the batting for India, but both struggled to perform. Sehwag managed only 12 runs, while Ganguly added 7 runs before being dismissed. This prompted Wright’s reaction in the dressing room, as recounted by Ganguly at a later event.

‘When I returned to the dressing room after winning the match, there was pin-drop silence,’ Ganguly recalled. He further narrated that Wright had approached Sehwag, caught him by his collar, and expressed his displeasure, suggesting that such shots could potentially lose them the match. This altercation reportedly involved Wright punching Sehwag, a fact confirmed by Wright when questioned by Ganguly.

Sehwag, however, appeared to have taken the incident in stride. When asked by Ganguly if everything was alright, Sehwag reportedly responded, ‘Yeah, skip, don’t worry, it’s fine. It happens. I played a poor shot, and he got angry.’ This highlights the unique dynamics within the Indian cricket team at the time, where such incidents were not uncommon.

Additionally, legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar witnessed the altercation with Sehwag but chose not to comment publicly. The matter was reportedly resolved internally within the team.

The incident resurfaced during the launch of former BCCI General Manager Amrit Mathur’s book, “Pitchside: My Life in Indian Cricket,” where Sehwag recounted another similar episode during the 2004 England tour. He mentioned being physically confronted by Wright again but was later appeased by Mathur and then BCCI manager Rajiv Shukla.