Former India opener Aakash Chopra has shared a hilarious and bold story about Virender Sehwag and the famous umpire Steve Bucknor.
He was talking about India’s tour of Australia in 2004. During that tour, in a Test match at the Gabba, umpire Steve Bucknor gave Sachin Tendulkar out LBW for a 3-ball duck off Jason Gillespie. Replays clearly showed the ball was going well over the stumps. It was a very bad decision. Many years later, the Jamaican umpire himself accepted that it was a big mistake and he regretted it.
Aakash Chopra said that whatever Sachin Tendulkar wanted to say to the umpire, Virender Sehwag would say it on his behalf.
While speaking on a show, Aakash Chopra revealed that Sehwag was fielding at square leg, right next to Steve Bucknor. He started chatting with him and asked him about his age. When Steve Bucknor told him he was around 52 or 53 years old, Sehwag gave a shocking reply. He told the umpire that he cannot hear properly and cannot see properly so he should retire.
Aakash Chopra said he got very scared after hearing this. He asked Sehwag if he had gone mad and warned him that the umpire would give him out as revenge. But Sehwag was not worried at all.
Virender Sehwag replied that Steve Bucknor was already giving wrong decisions against Sachin Tendulkar, so it doesn’t matter if he gives him out too. He opined if the umpire was going to give wrong decisions anyway, he might as well speak his mind.
In the same show, former fast bowler Umesh Yadav also shared funny stories about umpires. He said that when players feel the umpire is purposely giving wrong decisions, they also start doing things to annoy the umpire.
He gave an example and said that sometimes when a batsman says something unnecessary while he is bowling, he tells the umpire in a cheeky way if he needs glasses or if his glasses have become foggy or if he has fallen asleep. He said players do such naughty things when they disagree with the umpire.
Well, Virender Sehwag certainly knows how to give it back without being offensive, what do you say?
