5 times Virender Sehwag received criticism for his comments
Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag was famous for providing explosive starts to the Men in Blue during his playing days. He also had a great IPL record while playing for Delhi Daredevils and Punjab Kings.
Apart from his batting performances, Virender Sehwag is known for his sense of humor. He has earned the fans' attention on many occasions with his witty comments and hilarious one-liners.
However, just like his cricket career, Sehwag has had some bad days while commenting about the sport. Here's a list of five instances when the former Indian cricketer received criticism from fans for his comments.
#1 Virender Sehwag's tweet about Dhruv Jurel
Dhruv Jurel recently made his Test debut for India and impressed straightaway. The wicketkeeper played a brilliant knock of 90 runs in the fourth Test against England. After his excellent performance, Sehwag took to X to tweet:
"No media hype, no drama, just some outstanding skills and quietly showed great temparement in a very difficult situation. Very Well done Dhruv Jurel. Best wishes."
Many fans felt that Sehwag tried to take a shot at Sarfaraz Khan with the media hype comment. Seeing the backlash, the former Indian opener issued a clarification on the platform, commenting:
"Not to degrade or demean anyone, but hype should be on performance and be equal. Some guys have bowled brilliantly, some have batted exceptionally but haven’t got the hype they deserve.
"Akash Deep was outstanding here, Yashasvi has been brilliant through the series and so was Sarfaraz at Rajkot and Dhruv Jurel in all his opportunities. Hype sabko karo. (Hype everyone)."
#2 Virender Sehwag's 'Chhamiya' comment about Virat Kohli
After retirement, Sehwag has tried his luck in coaching and Hindi commentary. During a Test match between India and England in 2022, the former Indian opener made the following comment on Virat Kohli when he celebrated the fall of a wicket.
"Chhamiya naach rahi hai." (Chhamiya is dancing)
The comment irked many fans of Kohli. They took to social media to criticize Sehwag for making such comments during a Test match.
#3 Sehwag's comments on Virat Kohli-Gautam Gambhir saga
Sehwag worked as a cricket expert for a popular online show during IPL 2023. Sharing his views on the fight between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir after the RCB vs LSG match, Sehwag said that the two players were icons of the country.
He opined that they should not have fought the way they did because young kids watch and follow them. After his comments, fans called him out for endorsing a pan masala brand during the season. Fans asked whether Sehwag considered himself as an icon or not.
#4 When Virender Sehwag's comments irked SRH fans
During the IPL 2020 season, Sehwag appeared as a guest on the aforementioned show and commented that Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) should give a walkover to Mumbai Indians (MI) because they did not have enough firepower in their batting to defeat MI in Sharjah.
“Hyderabad should give a walkover. They don’t have the firepower in their batting to score 200-250. SRH are capable of 150 runs and if Mumbai bat first they will put up a 200-plus total,” Sehwag had said.
The comment naturally irked many SRH fans. They even hit back at Sehwag when SRH scored 201 runs in a subsequent match against Punjab Kings.
#5 Fans call out Virender Sehwag for calling James Anderson 'buzurg'
During the fifth Test of the India vs England series in 2022, Sehwag received negative comments from fans once again when he called James Anderson a 'buzurg' (old man) on air after he dropped a catch.
Anderson was almost 40 years old when he played that Test. Hence, Sehwag tried to take a light-hearted jibe at him, but some fans did not take it well.