“Jab 295 ka ho jaaonga, aap izaazat toh tab hi denge” - Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar engage in hilarious birthday banter
Former Team India batters Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar engaged in some hilarious banter on Twitter on the occasion of the former’s birthday on Thursday, October 20.
Sehwag, renowned for being one of the most destructive hitters in the game during his playing days, is celebrating his 44th birthday. On this occasion, members of the cricketing fraternity have been sending him wishes on social media.
Tendulkar also took to Twitter to wish his former ODI opening partner a happy birthday. However, his post had a cheeky twist. Making a funny comparison between Sehwag’s age and his aggressive batting, the Master Blaster wrote:
“Chauke pe chauka maarte huye 44 par pahunch gaye. Ab 44 se 50 ke liye 6 banta hai! (You have reached 44 by hitting four after four. Now go from 44 to 50 with a six!) Happy birthday Viru!”
Responding to Tendulkar’s wish, Sehwag, known for his sense of humor both on and off the field, came up with an equally witty reply. He commented:
“Aapke saath hote huye kahan aisa risk le sakte hain, Paaji. Jab 295 ka ho jaaonga , aap izaazat toh tab hi denge .. (Knowing you, I cannot take this risk. I know, you will give permission when I turn 295!)
“Thank you very much for your wishes, the journey became much easier with you around, Paaji.”
Sehwag was often referred to as Tendulkar’s clone during the early years of his international career because of the heavy influence of the legend on his style of play. However, once he found his groove, the Nawab of Najafgarh swiftly carved a niche for himself in the game.
The Sehwag and Tendulkar show
Sehwag and Tendulkar had a glorious association as a batting pair in international cricket. The duo featured in a memorable 220-run stand in Sehwag’s debut Test against South Africa in Bloemfontein in November 2001. While the debutant notched up a hundred (105) in the first innings, Tendulkar top-scored with 155.
The duo also scored 4387 runs in 114 innings as a batting pair in ODIs. They shared 13 century stands and 18 half-century partnerships with a best of 182.
Sehwag played 104 Tests, 251 ODIs and 19 T20Is for India from 1999 to 2013. He remains the only batter from the country to have notched up two triple hundreds in Test cricket.