PT4. 17/09/2017: DARK SECRETS OF INDIAN CRICKET THAT YOU NEVER KNEW BEFORE

X.



The incident occurred when Team India was caught in the infamous match-fixing scandal in 2000. When questioned about his involvement in the same, here’s what Kapil had to say... "I will commit suicide before that rather than taking bribe from somebody. Take all my money, I don't want it. I come from a family where pride is the most important thing,"  a teary eyed Dev said.

XI.



One of India’s most successful Test captains, Mohammed Azharuddin was always spotted with his signature look — raised collar and white helmet. Here’s how it became a trend... "While fielding at point, I used to have problems in my neck skin because of the exposure to the sun. Hence, I decided to raise my collar as protection and it became a habit... I had a liking for white helmet since we used it a lot during playing Tests. And since there was no compulsion of using a blue helmet, I played with a white one," the former captain mentioned this during an interview.

XII.



In an explosive moment in the Indian dressing room, Virender Sehwag was grabbed by the collar by the then coach John Wright during the Natwest trophy tournament in England after the opener had played a reckless shot to get out. The genial New Zealander recalled the incident in his book Indian Summers while referring to the Indian team's tour of England in 2002.
"I had been trying to get Sehwag to temper his boldness, which too often of late had crossed the line into recklessness," he writes. Shortly after skipper Sourav Ganguly had got out in the second over, Sehwag holed out trying to blast one back over the bowler's head, leaving India 26 for 2. "I had enough of players trotting out the 'natural game' line as an excuse for failing to take responsibility and disregarding the match situation.
"When Sehwag wandered in, I decided it was time for a sort-out. Not realising that my exasperation levels had soared into the red zone, I went upto him, grabbed him by the collar and barked, 'what the hell's going on? How can you come back in here after playing a shot like that and unbuckle your pads as if nothing's happened. Everyone froze — it was like someone had pulled out a gun —and I turned on my heel and stomped out." Wright said that in subsequent team meetings he was told by the players that he had been a "bit rough" and the ex-coach accepted that he had indeed gone overboard.

XIII.



Sachin Tendulkar played for Pakistan before making his debut for India. This incident happened during a practice match between the arch-rivals at the Brabourne Stadium in 1987. Tendulkar made his presence felt on the ground as a substitute fielder for Pakistan.