5 things that come to mind when we hear Virender Sehwag's name

Virender Sehwag was one of India’s greatest ever opening batsmen

Birthday boy Virender Sehwag is one of the very few players who is missed by the fans after his retirement. He is not only someone who can be destructive with the bat but is also capable of getting into the opposition’s mind when he is at the crease and has won several matches for India on his own.  

Sehwag ended his career with 8586 Test runs in 104 matches at an average of just below 50 and accounted for 8273 runs in 251 ODIs at an average of 35. The most amazing thing about his batting, however, is his strike-rate. The destructive opener has strike rates of 82 and 104 in Tests and ODIs respectively.

There are several instances that define Sehwag as an individual and they include his aggressive batting, cheeky press conferences and pulling the legs of teammates. On the occasion of his 38th birthday, let us take a look at few things that come to mind when we hear the name “Virender Sehwag.”

#1 Destruction with the bat

Sehwag was one of the most destructive batsmen of his time

Sehwag is one amongst very few batsmen who excelled in International cricket in spite of not having a proper technique. He relies more on hand-eye co-ordination rather than orthodox footwork.

The nature of the wicket, overhead conditions and the reputation of the bowler do not matter to the Nawab of Najafgarh. The only thing that matters to him is that a red cherry (sometimes white) is coming towards him and every time he sees that, he has to smash it out of his sight.

Such is the reputation he had and it gave nightmares to the bowlers bowling at him. 

When Sehwag was at the top of the order in the Indian batting line-up, the starts he gave instilled confidence in his fellow batsmen and that has won his side matches on several occasions. His attacking batting allowed the likes of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and VVS Laxman to take their time to settle down before going for the kill. 

It is very important for an International team to have someone like Virender Sehwag at the top of the order for over a decade and in this case, the Indian cricket team is lucky to have had him for nearly 13 years.

Now that he is gone, it is fair to say that India have sorely missed his presence.