Be it batting or his characteristics off the field – what made Virender Sehwag one of the most unique cricketers of all time is the manner in which he dealt with situations. How many batters have had the courage to sing songs and whistle while facing the fastest bowlers around the world? Not many, right? Sehwag made it a habit. In fact, at one stage in his career, Sehwag he was so brash that former India coach John Wright couldn't help by grab Viru by the scruff of his neck to put forward his point. But unlike today, things never spiralled out of control as whatever Sehwag did, it stemmed from the goodness of his heart.
So much so that Sehwag did not even back down from confronting his captain Sourav Ganguly. Sehwag made his debut in 1999 but it was under Ganguly from 2001 that he really came into his elements. But while Sehwag's form peaked, Ganguly's took a bit of a dip. There was a time in 2001 when Ganguly was battling a rough patch but since he was the captain, his place in the team was secured. Maybe it was then that former India batter Aakash Chopra described how Sehwag – albeit in a good spirit – even questioned Ganguly's form.
"Viru used to tell me 'See bro, if you don't score runs, you'll get dropped and the same goes for me. He even used to tell Ganguly 'Dada, rest all is fine. But please see. You are the captain. Score runs or you'll get dropped'. He was brilliant, and nobody took him badly because Viru was so honest. It was so endearing. People would tell him not to be so straightforward all the time. But he kept saying 'This is who I am. Take it or leave it'. He's always had a heart of gold and never shied away from speaking his mind," Chopra told Ranveer Allahabadia on 'TRS Clips'.
{{/usCountry}}"Viru used to tell me 'See bro, if you don't score runs, you'll get dropped and the same goes for me. He even used to tell Ganguly 'Dada, rest all is fine. But please see. You are the captain. Score runs or you'll get dropped'. He was brilliant, and nobody took him badly because Viru was so honest. It was so endearing. People would tell him not to be so straightforward all the time. But he kept saying 'This is who I am. Take it or leave it'. He's always had a heart of gold and never shied away from speaking his mind," Chopra told Ranveer Allahabadia on 'TRS Clips'.
{{/usCountry}}When Chopra made his India debut in October of 2003 against New Zealand, Sehwag was his opening partner. It was a fitting debut indeed since Sehwag and Chopra had played together for Delhi since their school days. From being youngsters to teenagers to India teammates, Chopra has witnessed Sehwag's range of moods from close quarters; hence many would know Viru the way Chopra does. Explaining how his partner was never the Yes Man kind of person, Chopra recalled how Sehwag even had the occasional run-ins with Wright.
"He was also open if he didn't like anyone. Once when John Wright didn't speak to him nicely, he said 'John, I will write a complaint against you that you're treating me different than Sachin. Because Sachin is a great player? I will write to the BCCI president. He was honest, fun. And also a champion. The manner in which he played his cricket was ahead of his time and played it with panache," added the former India batter.