Aakash Chopra recently revealed that Sachin Tendulkar was visibly unhappy when Rahul Dravid declared the innings just six runs short of Sachin’s double century during the 2004 Multan Test, and emphasized that the decision was a collective one involving the entire team, including Sourav Ganguly.
New Delhi: The famous 309 by Virender Sehwag during the Multan Test of 2004 also saw Sachin Tendulkar at the center of a controversy. When India had reached 675/5 and Sachin was on 194, captain Rahul Dravid declared the innings, leaving Sachin a mere six runs away from a double century. The decision, taken with the mind set on the match situation, disappointed Tendulkar and people, and experts alike did not hesitate to criticize it. Aakash Chopra reminded the fans recently how Sachin was “unhappy” with the decision.
“I was in the dressing room, but I wasn’t part of that conversation. To be very honest, I didn’t even try to get into it because I was too young. Yes, paaji wasn’t happy that day. I think I saw him unhappy for the first time. I never saw him lose temper, and he didn’t exactly lose temper that day but he was visibly unhappy. Something wasn’t right,” Chopra told YouTube channel 2 Sloggers.
Chopra further claimed that declaration of innings was not the solo decision of Dravid but that of the entire team. He also stated that Sourav Ganguly, who featured in no match, was in the dressing room and was a part of the think tank.
“Rahul did call, but Dada (Ganguly) was part of the dressing room that day too. He wasn’t playing in that game, but he was in dressing room and I’m sure he was part of the think-tank. It wasn’t the captain’s decision alone,” said Chopra.
“After the game, Rahul did say that he wouldn’t have declared had he known the match would end within 4 days. With Rahul, it is possible that in heat of the moment, you agree or disagree. But you don’t doubt his decision. You know that even if he was at a similar position, he would’ve taken the same decision.”