Virender Sehwag

A man and his bat carry the hopes of a nation



Just when India were worrying about how to fill the giant shoes of Sachin Tendulkar when he retires, along came Virender Sehwag, who not just bats like him, but looks like him, too! An extremely powerful hitter and timer of the ball, Sehwag initially resisted attempts at opening the batting. To his credit, not only did he agree to do so, he made a great success of it.



Ever since his first match for India at the International level, Virender Sehwag has batted only one way. Full of domination, full of power. When it is his day, luck just seems to stop favouring his opponents. When lady luck is on Sehwag's side, watching him bat is one of the most dominating sites in World Cricket today. He never seems to show any difference in the way he plays in One Day Cricket or Test Cricket. Very strong in cutting and flicking quick bowlers and intimidating spinners with powerplay makes him a potentially hostile batsman

When N.A. Sharma, a coach at a government-sponsored cricket center on the outskirts of the Indian capital of New Delhi, first met Virender Sehwag, he found little that impressed him. Sehwag was a 13-year-old local boy, son of a grain hawker, who lived in a house stuffed with siblings, uncles, aunts and 16 cousins. He had no dazzling skills—but was desperate to learn. Sharma was bowling to Sehwag one afternoon when dusk fell, and the coach suggested they call it a day. Sehwag refused: he wanted to perfect his stroke. "The other boys were sitting on the side gossiping," Sharma recalls, "but here was Sehwag, still batting. From that day onward, I told the other boys: 'Virender is going to play big cricket.'"

Full Name: Virender Sehwag
Born: 20 October 1978, Delhi
Major Teams: Delhi, Leicestershire, ACC Asian XI, ICC World XI, India
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break
Test Debut: India Vs South Africa at Bloemfontein, 1st Test, 2001/02
ODI Debut: India Vs Pakistan at Mohali, Pepsi Cup, 1998/99




Few will remember Sehwag’s one-day debut, against Pakistan at Mohali in the year 1999, when Shoaib trapped him lbw for 1 and was then hammered in the three overs he bowled. He could have played in the 1999 world cup - he made the 19 probables but not the final cut. After two years, he was recalled for the match against Zimbabwe in Kanpur. In the eleven matches that followed, he scored 19, 58, 2, 11, 4, 2, 0, 12, 33, 27 and 0 with an average of 14 which was hardly enough for a middle order batsman to hold his place in a team which had lots of exciting players like Badani, Kaif, Laxman, Sodhi and others around waiting for a chance. 2nd august match against Kiwis in the coca-cola cup held in Sri Lanka changed everything for this diminutive middle order batsman including his batting position.
Required to chase an imposing 265, after a sloppy performance in the field, India powered to a seven wicket victory over New Zealand, as Virender Sehwag, opening the innings in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, thumped the seventh fastest century in the history of one-day cricket and the second fastest by an Indian.
Even as Sehwag blazed away to the 68-ball century, the sixth fastest in one-day internationals, the selectors did not pick him in the 16- member team for the three Test series against Sri Lanka which started a week after the finals. "One-day cricket is entirely different from Tests," reasoned BCCI secretary and selection committee convener JY Lele." Sehwag was included in the Indian team purely as a one-day player. At any cost this century is not going to help him make it to the Test squad ". He was run out for 4 in the finals against Sri Lanka.

Sehwag is an attacking batsman and it was an attacking innings that he produced against the Proteas. Nine years ago, Pravin Amre had achieved a similar distinction on a lively track at Durban but then was lost to Indian cricket soon because none backed him. Credit here ought to be given to Sourav Ganguly, who was the most vocal supporter of Sehwag. The Indian skipper wanted Sehwag to be retained at all costs after the one dayers and the selectors relented after much thought.

The media focus and the adulation from millions of people has not affected Sehwag's approach to life and cricket. He has remained as approachable and warm as ever with his greatest support coming from the Delhi dressing room. "He's a simple soul and I know he will remain so," said the then Delhi captain Vijay Dahiya with authority.

Occasionally, Sehwag goes back to his old neighborhood of Najafgarh on the outskirts of New Delhi, distributes some pocket money to the local boys, instructs them in square cuts and backfoot punches, and lets them in on the key to his success. "I didn't have any connections," he lectures. "I just worked hard and played well. If you are talented, you will definitely get a chance."