Virender Sehwag - A legend in his own right
Time has gone like the wind, an era ends with the last warrior of the fabulous five biting the dust. Virender Sehwag, affectionately called as ‘Viru’ by fans and his colleagues, decided to put curtains down on his more than a decade-long enviable international career. A week ago, India’s best ever opening fast bowler Zaheer Khan bid adieu to international cricket, and now it was the turn of arguably India’s best ever opening batsman to call it quits.
When the news of Viru’s retirement flashed on the T.V, I felt like I was stabbed from behind. I knew well, there was little chances that I could see the 37-year-old swashbuckling batsman donning the Indian jersey once again, but, maybe because of my unrealistic optimism, I couldn’t accept the fact as it is. Not just me, I’m sure it was indeed a heartbreaking moment for all the kids who loved Sehwag’s audacious batsmanship.
Virender Sehwag, or should I say ‘entertainment redefined. Believing in the principle that attack is the best form of defence, he ripped apart the best bowling line-ups without any magnanimity. His cold-blooded cut-shots, wild slogs over mid-wicket and what more! It had been an absolute pleasure watching his ruthless game.
Years have gone now, but there was a time when test cricket was considered to be as boring as counting shells on a sea shore. But with Sehwag’s arrival, test cricket reached new dimensions. With his fearless hitting, he enthralled the viewers and brought big crowds to the longer format of the game.
When he got off the mark with a boundary, it was like having a coffee, in bed. When he obliterated World’s fastest bowlers, Shoaib Akhtar, and Brett Lee, I experienced a heavenly pleasure of exuding patriotism. Yes, he was an entertainer and he made my day.
Virender Sehwag – The maverick who redefined aggression
“Do I look like a guy with a plan?” I would like to iterate Joker’s quote here with a sense of pride. Yes, Sehwag was a freak like Joker, but with a minor alteration that he always came to the crease with one single plan. A simple game plan, an uncomplicated approach without a trace of fickleness – You miss, I hit.
Yes, his intentions were always clear like a crystal and his mind was an open textbook. He backed his strengths and instincts, and was aggressive most of the time, not verbally like the Aussie players, but his bat talked for him. He never worried about getting out, nor wasted any delivery that could be swatted, as he never resorted to any defensive tactics no matter whatever the situation was.
It seemed like he had no pressure whatsoever while batting on the so-called nervous 90’s, nor had any problem of being set before going for the big shots. He instilled fear in the mind of bowlers, as they knew that if this selfless champ gets going, he could take the game away from them in no time.
Who else can unleash a six when batting on 295 without the fear of losing the golden chance of reaching the coveted triple hundred milestone? Who else other than the Nawab of Najafgarh would dare to whack the first ball of an innings for a boundary regardless of the quality of the delivery or the bowler? No one, absolutely no one can fill his shoes.
Though I perceived a divine elegance in Rahul Dravid’s back-foot defence, when I was a child, I always wondered why Dravid is playing that shot when one can send it over the ropes like Sehwag does. My Uncle told me, that’s not how the game is played as one have to play shots according to the merit of the ball.
In fact, I didn’t quite get it. I listened to some experts who criticized Sehwag for his ridiculous technique which lacked feet movement. They also urged him to control his attacking impulses.
But Sehwag’s resolute mind paid no attention to the tide of conventional dogmas, as even if earth turns upside down, he wasn’t ready to change his inimitable batting style. However, he was a bit superstitious when it came to his jersey number, but he never cared much about all other technicalities.
Why should he, with all those limitations if he can score 8586 runs from 104 tests at an average close to 50?
Virender Sehwag – A legend in his own right.
He played alongside legends and was a legend in his own right. He idolized Sachin Tendulkar, and eventually he made a deadly opening combo with Sachin and then with Gautam Gambhir in tests and ODIs. With a strike rate of more than 80 in all three formats, no qualms, he was an embodiment of destruction.
One among the 4 international players and the only Indian in the history of the game to score 2 triple hundreds, Sehwag’s highest score of 319 came in a scarcely believable 278 deliveries, and that too against the mighty South African bowling attack, at Chennai in 2008. In fact, he crossed the 300 run mark even before that, when his 309 against Pakistan in the Multan test of 2004 steered India to a triumph by an innings and 52 runs.
I still have etching memories of the Lahore test of 2006 against Pakistan, when Dravid and Sehwag made a mockery of the Pakistan bowlers, as they amassed a whopping 410 runs for the first wicket, in reply to Pakistan’s daunting 1st innings total of 679. Sehwag scored almost double the runs of Dravid, as the partnership became the 2nd (now 3rd, as the Graeme Smith - Mckenzie partnership of 415 in 2008 against Bangladesh is at the top of the list) highest opening wicket partnership in tests.
In fact, they were just 3 runs shy of surpassing the record of highest opening wicket partnership at that time (413 made by Vinoo Mankad and P. Roy in 1956 against New Zealand), and all fans were eagerly waiting to see the historical moment. But unfortunately, the partnership was broken on the 5th day of the test match as Sehwag (254 from 247 balls) succumbed to a short delivery of Naved-ul-Hasan.
His 1st ODI century came in just 69 balls, against New Zealand, and eventually he went on to make another 14 of them.
Sehwag the bowler
Sehwag fancied his chances in bowling as well, as in various occasions he had been the partnership breaker for his skipper Saurav Ganguly. His sensational last over of the 2002 champions trophy semi-final against South Africa granted India a semi-final victory over the Proteas, with Sehwag claiming 3 wickets for 25 runs in 5 overs.
However, Sehwag’s form declined by the end of 2012, accounted by some eyesight troubles and eventually led to his ouster from the team. Some even said that he could have made a comeback if he had had changed his style and technique. But I knew, that’s never going to happen as the player we are talking about is Virender Sehwag.
Age might have stood as a stumbling block before him, however, no one can turn a blind eye towards his immense contribution to the Indian cricket, which is in fact beyond the numbers. He has emboldened a generation of cricketers and has made India proud.
We speak a lot about Sachin’s elegance, Dravid’s patience, Ganguly’s aggression, Laxman’s determination, but when it comes to pure entertainment, Sehwag has got no match. Among the five, he was the fire which inspired a generation.
With Sehwag’s retirement, it’s going to be the end of an epoch. We won’t see those his fierce square cuts once again. We will miss his elegant on-drives, effortless and impeccable slip-catching. We will miss Virender Sehwag.
Many may come and go, but you will always live in our hearts. Thank you, for making my childhood awesome.