Shocking Revelation as Sachin Tendulkar Claims Virender Sehwag Ignored His Advice

In the interactive session at Rashtrapati Bhavan, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar shared an amusing anecdote about his long-time opening partner, Virender Sehwag. Tendulkar revealed that Sehwag often did the opposite of what he advised, requiring a clever strategy to get him to play a certain way.

Cricket legend Shri Sachin Tendulkar along with his family members called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Later, in an interactive session under the RB initiative 'Rashtrapati Bhavan Vimarsh Shrinkhala', he shared principles of motivation through anecdotes from… pic.twitter.com/lbXpOKnW2s

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If Tendulkar wanted Sehwag to defend, he would tell him to attack, prompting Sehwag to insist on defending first. This reverse psychology, according to Tendulkar, helped them complement each other on the field. He said:

With Sehwag, he would often do the opposite of what I wanted. So, if I wanted him to defend for a few overs, I would tell him, “Viru, go and start blasting the bowlers”. He would then say, “No paaji, I think I should defend for four overs first and then attack”. I had to say the opposite to get the best out of him, and I would smile, knowing I had achieved what I wanted.

The duo formed one of India’s most successful opening partnerships, amassing 3,919 runs in 93 ODI innings at an average of 42, including 12-century stands. Their aggressive approach was particularly effective during the 2011 World Cup, where they dominated top bowling attacks. Despite their contrasting styles—Tendulkar being more calculated and Sehwag aggressive—their partnership played a key role in India’s success.