Ex-India coach reveals funny reason behind Virender Sehwag not going to the gym

Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag is widely regarded as one of the most destructive openers of all time. The attacking right-handed batsman scored over 17,000 runs across 104 Tests, 251 ODIs and 19 T20Is. Even though Virender Sehwag made his international debut in 1999, his career flourished under the coaching tenure of John Wright.

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John Wright reveals training routines of Virender Sehwag

In a recent appearance on Sky Sports Podcast, former England batsman Rob Key recalled an interaction he had with his former Kent coach John Wright. Rob Key revealed that upon asking Wright about how he managed to coach an easy-going personality like Virender Sehwag, the former New Zealand cricketer said that he simply instructs the opening batsman to “play straight” before any match.

The cricketer-turned-coach also told Key that Sehwag never wanted to visit gym because he comically thought it was “too cold” in there. The former Indian coach then stated that even when he used to ask the destructive batsman to run on machines so that he can warm-up, Sehwag never used to believe him.

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John Wright’s tenure with Team India

John Wright served as Team India's head coach between 2000 and 2005. His partnership with the then India captain Sourav Ganguly and the batting form of Sachin Tendulkar enabled the ‘Men in Blue’ to reach the final of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. Under his coaching stint, Virender Sehwag made his Test debut against South Africa in 2001 at Bloemfontein and scored an attacking 105 during a 220-run stand with Sachin Tendulkar. In 2004, Virender Sehwag smacked 309* against Pakistan at Multan to become the first Indian cricketer to register a Test triple hundred.

John Wright’s coaching tenure is also responsible for introducing MS Dhoni at the international stage. The Ranchi-born cricketer made his international debut against Bangladesh in December 2004, i.e. during the fag end of the New Zealander’s five-year term with Indian cricket. MS Dhoni was then appointed as India’s captain in 2007 and has since collected several trophies including the coveted 2011 World Cup crown, i.e. an achievement Wright missed by just one match in the 2003 final in Johannesburg.

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John Wright in IPL

Eight years after his coaching term ended with Team India, John Wright was reunited with Sachin Tendulkar when he was appointed as the head coach of the Mumbai Indians in 2013. The Mumbai-based T20 unit went on to win the Indian Premier League 2013 (IPL 2013) season following which Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement from the extravagant event. Wright continues his association with the franchise as he is one of the talent scouts for Mumbai Indians.

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