When Virender Sehwag pleaded Sachin Tendulkar to save him from Wasim Akram during 2003 World Cup

Virender Sehwag is regarded as one of cricket’s greatest openers across formats given his impressive exploits in cricket. He was known to be a fearless batter at the top of the order and was even named as the best entertainer by many during his time. However, not many are aware that he once pleaded his fellow opening partner to take the strike as he was worried about getting out on the first ball. On the sidelines of the inaugural edition of the International League T20, Sehwag narrated an anecdote from the past wherein he had asked the great Sachin Tendulkar to face the first ball against Wasim Akram during the 2003 World Cup match, and Sachin denied.

While Sachin was already an established name in the Indian dressing room by then, Sehwag was slowly entering in the list of regular-starters in the team. Given his recent modes of dismissals then, Sehwag was seen getting out early on to the left-arm seamers – be it Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas or Australia’s Nathan Bracken. The attacking opener clearly didn’t want the same thing to happen against the mighty Wasim Akram in such a high-octane clash.

So, before the Pakistan innings got over, sometime during the last over, he went straight to Sachin Tendulkar and requested him to face the first ball against Akram, to which Sachin openly denied citing his personal superstitions.

“I was not good against the left-arm fast bowlers. I got out on first ball to Chaminda Vaas many times, and many times to Nathan Bracken also. When we were playing against Wasim bhai in the 2003 World Cup, and last over of innings when we were fielding and I asked Sachin Tendulkar to take strike because see if Wasim bowls first ball, I would get out. He (Tendulkar) said ‘No, No, I am very superstitious, my pandit ji has told me to bat at No.2’. And I said ‘You’re No.1 batsman in the world and you’re talking about Pandit ji… But he said, “No… I will bat at No. 2; you have to take the strike,’ Sehwag said.

The attacking opener then added he even requested Sachin for the same during the innings break as well, and again he denied.

“So then, we were playing at the Centurion and we had to step up many stairs, so we went in for lunch and then came back requesting Tendulkar and he had put on big earphones and he removed the earphones and slapped me on my back and said go and pad yourself and I will not take strike. So, you know I was trying to please Tendulkar to save me from Wasim Akram,” Sehwag added.

Eventually what happened was Sachin only faced the first ball and went to score 98 in a winning cause, whereas, Sehwag got out to Waqar Younis on 21 inside the first ten overs. India won that match with six wickets in hand.