The former all-rounder of the West Indies cricket team, Dwayne DJ Bravo, opened one of the most controversial and hardest periods in his career as a player for the West Indies. He mentioned that it was not his decision to retire from Tests, but he shared his version of the story during the 2014 West Indies debacle.
DJ Bravo on being pushed out of Test cricket by Cricket West Indies
While talking on the podcast Beard Before Wicket, DJ Bravo told the story of how management of the West Indies team took him out of Test cricket.
“It was never my decision to end Test cricket,” Bravo informed. “The team management asked me to retire as they had other plans. If it was my call, I would have played many more Test matches. My side of the story is not known to people; they only viewed the happenings from the outside.”
At the time, DJ Bravo who made his first Test appearance at Lord’s in 2004 had already participated in 40 Tests where he scored 2200 runs at an average of 31.42 with 3 hundreds and 13 fifties and also took 86 wickets at an average of 39.83 thus proving his worth as an all-rounder. His last Test was in December 2010, however, he declared himself out of Test cricket in October 2018.
DJ Bravo Exposes the Backstage Drama of the Controversial 2014 India Tour Fallout and Pay Cut Issues
DJ Bravo, one of the talismanic West Indies cricketers, led the team in the 2014 tour of India. The players were informed of a shocking 75% cut in their salaries during the tour due to their new central contracts. Bravo revealed that the team was in the dark, learning about the pay reduction only after they had arrived in India, and how being there for his teammates during the 2014 India tour cost him his place in the national team.
Bravo remembered, “As the captain, it was my duty to defend my players.” “You can’t go on a journey, get your contract, and then find out that your salary has been reduced by 75%. I tell you, everyone was very upset. We tried to reach out to the players’ union and the management, but our grievances were all brushed aside. We were left with no option and we had to make a choice.”
The team’s decision to pull out after the fourth ODI drew attention in the cricketing world as the BCCI was thinking about suing the WICB. Just before the match, DJ Bravo had hinted at something serious telling commentator Ian Bishop at the toss “Time to make a decision”. Bravo was joined by his teammates who backed him up leading to the anger of the West Indies board and the disillusionment of the Indian fans.
DJ Bravo Says Standing by Players Cost Him His ODI Career
After the event, Bravo stated that he had to pay the highest price.
“Out of the 15-player squad in India, I was the one and only player who did not participate in the ODI cricket for West Indies henceforth.”, he revealed. “I changed from the captain who had improved ratio of winning from about 32% to 48% in nine months to a dropped player. However, I do not regret it at all for standing by my teammates.”
DJ Bravo pointed out that he was going through a tough period and the situation was made worse because of the absence of support from CWI officials. He felt abandoned and uncertain about his future, so he turned to the then-ICC chairman N. Srinivasan for advice (the owner of an IPL franchise), with whom he had established a rapport during his time at Chennai Super Kings.
“I was at a loss. We were alone. The board didn’t want to know, and I was the one getting all the flak. Mr. Srinivasan was my mentor during that tough times; at least one person was hearing me out.”
The disagreement took such a toll on DJ Bravo that he became like a pariah. When announcing the West Indies ODI World Cup 2015, which they lost at the quarterfinal stage to co-host New Zealand, the name of Bravo was nowhere to be found.
“That was the lowest point of my career,” he admitted. “I had given my everything for my mates, and then I was totally excluded.”
DJ Bravo Reflects on Untold Story Behind ‘Champion’ Song
Nevertheless, Bravo somehow managed to turn his feelings into a song and the world got to know the now-legendary anthem “Champion”.
“When I was dropped, I was thinking my career was over,” DJ Bravo stated. “It was the worst period of my life. A few weeks later I won the CPL with Trinidad, and that gave me back my confidence. That was the time when ‘Champion’ was born.”
The ‘Champion’ song released shortly after winning the franchise to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title in 2015 became a worldwide hit when the Windies won the T20 World Cup 2016 in India.