When Virender Sehwag 'bribed' Asad Rauf to not give him out

After retiring from umpiring in 2013 due to suspicions of spot-fixing and sexual exploitation at the time, 66-year-old Asad Rauf was discovered operating a used-goods store in Lahore's Landa Bazar.

The Indian cricket board (BCCI) suspended the former umpire for five years in 2016 for his suspected involvement in a betting incident during the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2013. The former umpire had a career marked by controversy toward the end of his tenure.

One such controversy was when former Indian opener Virender Sehwag, on a chat show revealed that during the 2008 Mohali Test against Australia, umpire Rauf didn't give him out inspite of being clearly out. Shewag revealed that he was given not out because he had gifted Rauf shoes, a t-shirt, and glasses.

“Asad Rauf was very fond of collecting things. He loved wearing branded glasses, t-shirts, shoes among other things. I was the brand ambassador of Adidas at the time, so I gifted him shoes, t-shirts, and glasses and I jokingly told him not to raise his finger while I am batting,” Sehwag had said in an interview.

However, Rauf denied both the allegations of match fixing also Sehwag's claims, claiming he had never engaged in unethical behaviour.

"Unse mera toh koi lena dena tha hi nahi, wo unhi (BCCI) ki taraf se aaye aur unhone hi decision le liye (I had nothing to do with these issues, the allegations came from the BCCI’s side and they decided on me themselves)," Rauf had told Pakistan's Hum News in an interview.

“As far as Sehwag is concerned, uski kya majaal wo ek ICC elite umpire se kuch kahe. (Sehwag has no power to ask an ICC elite panel umpire to ask for a favour). I was never accused of such behaviour in my career before," he added

“Asad Rauf was very fond of collecting things. He loved wearing branded glasses, t-shirts, shoes among other things. I was the brand ambassador of Adidas at the time, so I gifted him shoes, t-shirts, and glasses and I jokingly told him not to raise his finger while I am batting,” Sehwag had said in an interview.

“And he did exactly that. We were playing against Australia in Mohali in 2008 – the same match where VVS Laxman got us over the line. Mitchell Johnson bowled a short-pitch delivery and I attempted a cut shot but ended up edging it. So thick was the edge that it was heard even inside the dressing room but Rauf gave me not out."

Published on: Thursday, September 15, 2022, 02:25 PM IST