The wise man in dressing room
14 Nov 2013 10:38 PM GMT
During a tour of England in 2002, Sachin emerged as the pacifier after the team was ready to revolt against the then India coach John Wright after the Kiwi allegedly slapped Virender Sehwag for throwing away his wicket in an ODI played at The Oval.
Recalling the incident, union minister Rajeev Shukla, who was the manager during that tour, says it was Sachin who saved Wright from the embarrassment as captain Sourav Ganguly wanted him to apologise to Sehwag.
‘I saw Sehwag in a bad mood. When I asked him he said Wright had slapped him. It became a big issue and Ganguly insisted they will not leave the dressing room unless Wright apologises to Sehwag.
When I asked Wright if the allegations were true, he said he wanted Sehwag to score a century but Sehwag repeated his mistake of lifting the ball and got out which made him lose his cool.
Wright added ‘he is like a disciple to me so I just pushed him out of anger,’ Shukla recalled. As the tension built up in the dressing room, Sachin requested Shukla to ensure Wright’s dignity as coach is kept intact.
 ‘Sachin came to me and said ‘you must ensure that Wright does not apologise, otherwise the coach will lose his respect’. I got back to Sehwag and explained the situation following which he let it go,’ Shukla said. According to former South Africa batsman Gary Kirsten, who also enjoyed a successful stint as India coach, Sachin had a ‘fantastic’ presence in the dressing room without having to say too much.
‘But whenever he spoke during team meetings, there would be pin-drop silence,’ Kirsten said recently in an interview. Most of Sachin’s teammates would fondly recall the pleasant experience they had while sharing the dressing room with the master-blaster.
Former batting great VVS Laxman, who played along side Sachin for 16 years, says he is honoured to be on his side for such a long time. ‘It was Tendulkar who made me feel comfortable in the dressing room during my debut series against South Africa in 1996. Sachin was the captain then and he made sure that I felt at ease both in the dressing room and the field.’
Recalling the incident, union minister Rajeev Shukla, who was the manager during that tour, says it was Sachin who saved Wright from the embarrassment as captain Sourav Ganguly wanted him to apologise to Sehwag.
‘I saw Sehwag in a bad mood. When I asked him he said Wright had slapped him. It became a big issue and Ganguly insisted they will not leave the dressing room unless Wright apologises to Sehwag.
When I asked Wright if the allegations were true, he said he wanted Sehwag to score a century but Sehwag repeated his mistake of lifting the ball and got out which made him lose his cool.
Wright added ‘he is like a disciple to me so I just pushed him out of anger,’ Shukla recalled. As the tension built up in the dressing room, Sachin requested Shukla to ensure Wright’s dignity as coach is kept intact.
 ‘Sachin came to me and said ‘you must ensure that Wright does not apologise, otherwise the coach will lose his respect’. I got back to Sehwag and explained the situation following which he let it go,’ Shukla said. According to former South Africa batsman Gary Kirsten, who also enjoyed a successful stint as India coach, Sachin had a ‘fantastic’ presence in the dressing room without having to say too much.
‘But whenever he spoke during team meetings, there would be pin-drop silence,’ Kirsten said recently in an interview. Most of Sachin’s teammates would fondly recall the pleasant experience they had while sharing the dressing room with the master-blaster.
Former batting great VVS Laxman, who played along side Sachin for 16 years, says he is honoured to be on his side for such a long time. ‘It was Tendulkar who made me feel comfortable in the dressing room during my debut series against South Africa in 1996. Sachin was the captain then and he made sure that I felt at ease both in the dressing room and the field.’
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