Virender Sehwag: A THREAT to the Opponents!

It is a known fact that Virender Sehwag is an attacking batsman. He likes to attack from the very first ball. This quality makes him more dangerous for the opponents. This is a quality which makes him what he is today.
 
   Viru likes to attack from the very first ball and he likes to do it in almost every game. Here are some best instances which show how attacking he is and how he is really a threat to the opponents:

Virender Sehwag's 3 consecutive sixes off Tim Southee in the first over vs NZ

It was the first T20I played between India and New Zealand on 25 Feb 2009 at Christchurch. Tim Southee was the bowler. For the first three balls, Gambhir was the striker. He took a single on the third ball. And from the fourth ball, the show started. 

• Ball 4 (0.4): It was a short ball and Viru pulled it over deep backward square leg for a biggie.
• Ball 5 (0.5): It was a short one again and Sehwag crashed it over mid wicket for another six.
• Ball 6 (0.6): This was the third six in a row for Viru. He launched it off his pads this time to square leg for yet another six.

Sehwag hits 26 runs off an over vs Sri Lanka in 2005

It was the final of the Indian Oil Cup 2005 being played on 9 August 2005 vs Sri Lanka. The bowler was Dilhara Lokuhettige. It was the 6th over. And the show started from the very first ball of the over:

• Ball 1 (5.1): Four
• Ball 2 (5.2): Four
• Ball 3 (5.3): Six
• Ball 4 (5.4): Four
• Ball 5 (5.5): Four
• Ball 6 (5.6): Four

Virender Sehwag in World Cup 2011

Virender Sehwag launched the first five of India's innings in 2011 World Cup by hitting the first ball for four. The suffering bowlers were Shafiul Islam, James Anderson, Boyd Rankin, Mudassar Bukhari and Dale Steyn.

Sehwag during the 2011 World Cup. 

Virender Sehwag 300 off 278 vs South Africa, 2008

Virender Sehwag is the only Indian to hit two triple centuries. And, he holds another record- The record for the fastest 300. He made his second triple century in just 278 balls against a team which had the world's best bowlers. The bowlers were Ntini, Steyn, Kallis, Paul Harris and Ashwell Prince. Bowler by bowler comparision is given below(No. of runs hit by Virender Sehwag in no. of balls of each bowler):

• Makhaya Ntini : 76 Runs off 57 Balls
• Dale Steyn        :  46 Runs off 48 Balls
• Morne Morkel :  39 Runs off 45 Balls
• Paul Harris      :  100 Runs off 108 Balls
• J Kallis             :  46 Runs off 35 Balls
• A Prince           :  12 Runs off 11 Balls

• Now, we can conclude that:

 "Virender Sehwag is really a threat to the Opponents"

• There are many many more such instances. Sehwag treats each and every ball equally. He spares none. And this quality of Sehwag has made him a world class cricketer. 
• He has a unique style of playing cricket and hitting the ball. And it is for sure that we will never ever see another batsman like him.

Written by
~Saanidhya
@imSaanidhya

Fascinating Facts about Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag is one of the greatest cricketers the world has ever seen. He is the best opener in world cricket. He likes to attack the ball from the very beginning which makes him more important member of the team. Giving a good start to the innings is always good. This makes him the most important player for both the teams. He is a kind of cricketer whose batting is very interesting. People never feel bored in seeing his batting. Here are some amazing and interesting facts about the Hero, Virender Sehwag:

Virender Sehwag likes to eat Kheer.

• Sehwag's Nicknames: Besides Viru and Nawab of Najafgarh, his other nicknames include, 'The Najafgarh Tendulkar', 'The Little Tendulkar' and 'Multan ka Sultan'!!
• Kheer is the favourite food of Sehwag. He likes to eat Kheer prepared by his mother.
• During his early days, Sehwag used to go to Feroz Shah Kotla stadium for practice on a Chetak Scooter.
• Music: Sehwag's favourite singers are Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Alka Yagnik and Kumar Sanu.
• Sehwag's all time favourite batsman is Sachin Tendulkar.
• Sehwag is the third batsman after Sir Donald Bradman and Brian Lara to have scored two triple centuries in Test cricket.
• Sehwag has the record for hitting the fastest triple century.. in just 278 balls. 
• Only Sehwag has the guts to hit a six while batting on 295.. He did that vs Pakistan in which he scored 309.

Some Interesting stories about Virender Sehwag:

Sehwag's favourite batsman is Sachin Tendulkar.

• An incident during the 2004 Border Gavaskar Trophy: "You are too old, forget it, you need to go," said Michael Clarke to Sachin.
  The master had been out of field with a minor injury and when he came into bat, Michael Clarke went after him continuously.
  This irritated Sehwag, who walked up to him and asked, " How old are you ?"
  Michael : 'Mate,23"
  Sehwag: " Do you know he has more hundreds than your age ! If you want to abuse someone, see that he is at least of your age or experience ."
  This however didn't stop Clarke and it was only Viru's clincher that finally shut him up.
  Viru asked, " Your teammates call you pup, right ? "
  Clarke replied " Ya Mate."
  Viru retorted, "Which Breed?"
• An incident during Virender Sehwag's epic 319:
  When Sehwag was on 291 Paul Harris started bowling the negative line from over the wicket due to which Sehwag wasn't able to score freely. Sehwag went to him and said, ''Come around the wicket and I will hit you for a six first ball.'' Harris accepted the challenge and the very first ball was hit for a six by Sehwag when there was a long-on, long-off and deep mid wicket..!!!

• The Sehwag-Shoaib Akthar episode

Most of you might already know this, but in case you haven't heard of it,

In a match against Pakistan, Shoaib had run out of his bag of tricks against Sehwag. So he decided to come around the wicket and give a taste of some chin music with bouncers to Sehwag. His plan, to distract Sehwag.

• After every ball to Sehwag, Shoaib comes up to him and says,
  
  Shoaib:
  

  Hook maar ke dikha

  
  Hook this ball, if you can

• This frustrates Sehwag and he replies,
  
  Sehwag:
  

  Yeh bowling kar raha hai ya bheekh maang raha hai?
  
  Is he bowling or begging?

    To which even Pakistani fielders could not hold their laughter back. 

What the experts say about him - 

• "Having scored 295 and still hitting a six is something unimaginable and you need to be a genius for that" - Waqar Younis
• ​"I have to learn from Sehwag how to play in the nervous 90s" - Sachin Tendulkar 
• ​"The bowler might be good but when Sehwag thinks he wants to hit, God forbid anyone standing in the way"  -Laxman Sivaramakrishnan 
• "No matter how good and experienced you are, he can kill your attitude" - Brett Lee
• "Sehwag is a miracle, Sehwag is an institution" - Navjot Singh Sidhu
• ​"A batsman like Sehwag is never out of form" - Michael Hussey
• "No one can maximise the first 10 overs better than Sehwag" - Rahul Dravid 
• Will go miles to see Sehwag bat - Sourav Ganguly and Arun Lal during commentary.
• "I would always have Sehwag in my team. I want to watch him bat but not bowl to him" - Shane Warne
• "Players like Sehwag bring crowd back to Test cricket" - Kapil Dev
• Sehwag once said' "Why I need to only hit in gaps between the players on the ground; what about the gaps over their head?"

Source: Misc.

Note: The facts are taken from miscellaneous sources. Some facts may be untrue/incorrect.

Written by
~Saanidhya
@imSaanidhya

SACHIN and SEHWAG: The TRUE FRIENDS

Sachin and Sehwag, whenever we heard the two names, we felt proud and relieved. Because we knew that the team had nothing to worry about when the two master legends were on the crease. Even today, we feel happy whenever we hear the names of the two masters. The two are not just cricket partners or team-mates, they are true friends. Virender Sehwag has watched Sachin play cricket on TV when he was young. He used to copy Sachin and tried to copy him even after his international debut. Sachin is Viru's idol, in fact he is all of us' idol. But it is not only that

More than being friends, they respect each other!

only Viru admires Sachin. Sachin is also an admirer of Viru. Read this:
On the occasion of Sehwag’s 100th Test, Tendulkar said
“I remember the first time I batted with him against South Africa at Bloemfontein. As soon as he walked to the wicket I asked him how he was feeling and he said ‘a little nervous’. I told him it was quite normal and happened to me too. I told him to relax and after sometime he would enjoy the moment. Then, once he got going I began to enjoy his batting. What I have really liked about his batting is his approach to the game and his bat swing.”

• This shows the respect and friendship between the two. 

 The two of them together have played many good innings. Their partnerships have often helped India win matches. Here is a collection of some of the best partnerships between Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag:

Test Partnerships

Sehwag raises his bat after reaching his 300. (Behind) Sachin applauds.

• 220-Run Partnership vs South Africa, 3 November 2001: It was the first test of the Two-match Test Series. This was also the debut game for Virender Sehwag. India were batting first. The first wicket fell on just 7. Rahul Dravid was the batsman to be dismissed by Pollock. India kept losing the wickets and soon, they were in a position of 68/4. After that, Sachin and Sehwag played carefully and calmly. India were 288/4 when Sachin got out after making a brilliant 155. After sometime, Sehwag also got out scoring a fighting 105. His name also came in the list of cricketers to make a century on test debut. However, India lost the match, but the thing that all enjoyed and still remember was the 220 run partnership between Sachin and Sehwag.
• 336 Run Partnership vs Pakistan, 28 March 2004: This match is a memorable one. In this match, Virender Sehwag became the first ever Indian cricketer to score a triple century in test cricket. India were batting first. Sehwag was playing good from the beginning of the innings, He had a 160 run stand with Akash Chopra. Sachin joined Sehwag when the score was 173/2. Both played well throughout the innings. Sehwag ended up scoring a memorable triple century. He got out on 309. Sachin remained not out in the innings on 194. There is an incident related to this match. When Sehwag was on 295, Sachin told him not to do something which may cause him lose his wicket. But, Sehwag was very firm in his decision that he is going to hit a six. Sachin said, "You'll not hit a six or I'll hit you on your bum." But Viru didn't listen to Sachin and smashed the ball for a six becoming the first Indian to score a 300 in Test cricket.
  

  

  Sachin and Sehwag running between the wickets.

  
  

ONE DAY INTERNATIONAL

• 182 Run Partnership vs New Zealand, 15 November 2003: It was a match of the tri series poayed between Australia, India and New Zealand. India were batting first. Sachin and Sehwag were opening the innings. Both played brilliantly well. Sachin scored 102 off just 90 balls whereas the man of the match Sehwag scored 130. India posted a mammoth total of 353 and won it easily by 145 runs.

  

  Sachin and Sehwag during their 182 run Partnership

  They have played many more wonderful innings together and have made us proud many a times. But the reason behind these amazing partnerships is the true friendship, respect and belief in each other.

Written by

~Saanidhya

@imSaanidhya

Virender Sehwag: An Inspiration to All

Virender Sehwag is a man who has achieved many a things in his life, from cricket records to respect from fans and cricketers. He is a very aggressive batsman, as we can usually see in most of his innings. But the question is, What makes him inspire others? The simple answer to this question is- his being simple by nature and calm approach. He has been an inspiration to many people and he will be an inspiration to many more. Many of the cricketers like David Warner, Yusuf Pathan and David Miller give the credit of their success to Viru.

Virender Sehwag has inspired many people. He is an INSPIRATION!!

    

     In a recent interview, Sehwag, on being asked a question, said "Player watch vidoes to find their mistakes. I watch them to enjoy my boundaries." This shows how simple and straight forward he is by nature.

   Virender Sehwag has two triple centuries in Test cricket and a double century in one day international. He has also been awarded the Padma Shree award and has been the Wisden Leading cricketer for two years. But, there is not even a little bit of ego and arrogance in him. This is a very very important quality which makes you a great human being. Virender Sehwag has this quality and he is a great person, we all know.

  Inspiration to the Cricketers:

David Warner

In an interview, David Warner has said:

• "When I went to Dehli, Sehwag watched me a couple of times and said to me 'You'll be a better Test cricketer than what you will be a Twenty20 player' "
• "He(Sehwag) always says that the more balls that you see you're going to be tempted to try and score runs but you've just got to keep in the back of your mind what your zones are"
• "He's a great player that I've looked up to in the last couple of years, especially when I've been training with him and seeing how he goes about his stuff"



Warner has given the credit of his success in Test Cricket to Sehwag.

• "Sehwag inspired me"

Yusuf Pathan

In an interview, on being asked about his inspiration, Pathan said:

Yusuf Pathan says that the Daredevil approach in him has come from Sehwag.

• "The obvious answer to that is Sachin Tendulkar. But the daredevil approach in me has come from Virender Sehwag."

David Miller

David Miller, in an interview said:

Miller says that Sehwag has been one of his heroes and there is so much to learn from him.

• "He (Sehwag) has been one of my heroes and there’s so much one can learn from him. One thing I would really like to imbibe from him is his courage of conviction."

• “Over the years, he has been so consistent with the way he approaches his game and prepares for it. He has such strong self-belief that it doesn’t matter what anyone says about his game. He has achieved greatness on his own terms."    

Not only these cricketers. But, many other cricketers and fans have been inspired by this great man.

So, getting back on the subject of his calm and quiet approach, we can find many instances of him being a man of a calm approach:

• In a Test match against Pakistan, Sehwag was batting on 295... The master Sachin Tendulkar was the non-striker. Sehwag told Sachin that if Saqlain Mushtaq comes to bowl, he will definitely hit a six. But, Sachin protested his decision and told him not to hit any shot which can get him out. But, Sehwag was very firm on his decision. He smashed the ball over the fence for a six to compete his memorable maiden triple century. After hitting the six, Sachin also applauded for the daring act.

Sehwag celebrates after hitting the famous six and completing his 300.. (Behind) Sachin applauds.

• Sehwag has said that, "When you are in good form, even a good bowler won’t give you a problem" on being asked whether he has a problem facing a particular bowler.

So, it is a quiet clear fact that Virender Sehwag is an inspiration to all. One more TRUTH is that , It is very hard to find a person like Virender Sehwag and in cricket, I can say that we are not going to see a cricketer like him in future.

The Nawab of Unique Records!

Virender Sehwag is the holder of many records... some of them are very very rare and unique. Some of the records are listed below. Hope you'll enjoy reading it:

Test Records

• Viru has scored the fastest 300 in Test cricket in terms of balls faced (278).
• Viru is the only Indian batsman to have scored two triple centuries in Test cricket. He is one of the four batsman in the history of Test cricket to score two triple centuries, alongside Australia's Sir Donald Bradman, and the West Indies' Brian Lara and Chris Gayle.

  

  Sehwag is the only Indian to score two triple centuries. No other Indian has made even one triple century.

• He holds the record for consecutive test hundreds converted to scores of 150+, at 11.
• In December 2009 Sehwag scored 284 in a day against Sri Lanka in a Test, the most by an Indian.
• Six double centuries – Sehwag and Tendulkar are the only Indians to have made six Test double centuries.
• He is the first person in the history of test cricket to hit two triple centuries and take five wickets in a Test innings.

One-Day Records

• Second fastest century in ODI cricket by an Indian- 100 off 60 balls.
• He is the second cricketer to score a 200 in ODI cricket. He scored 219 which remained the highest score in ODI cricket for 3 years.

  

  Sehwag scored 219 in 149 balls vs West Indies.

• He had launched the first five of India's innings in 2011 World Cup by hitting the first ball for four. The bowlers who suffered this were Shafiul Islam (bangladesh), James Anderson (England), Boyd Rankin (Ireland), Mudassar Bukhari (Netherlands) and Dale Steyn (South Africa).

Non-International Feats

• Sehwag's score of 122 vs CSK is the second highest score in IPL by an Indian.
• He is the only batsman in T20 history to score five consecutive fifties.
• Sehwag has made two 100s in IPL, a feat achieved by few cricketers.
• Sehwag played in the Lords' Bicentenary match played between MCC vs RoW. 

Sehwag plays a shot during the Lords' Bicentenary Match.

SOME OTHER GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS

• Sehwag received Padma Shree Award in 2010

  

  Sehwag receiving the Padma Shree in 2010.

• He has been awarded the Wisden Cricketer of the Year two times.

• Sehwag has many more records and it is not wrong to say that Viru is the NAWAB of Unique Records!

Viru SAYS...The best quotes of Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag is a cricketer who likes to hit the ball hard with the bat. And keeping this in mind, many people may think that his voice or words are also very hard. But, it is totally wrong. Viru is just opposite of that. He is a very soft-spoken person. He speaks very straight and to the point. Here is a collection of some sayings(quotes) said by the man,Virender Sehwag himself, hope you all will enjoy it:

Virender Sehwag likes to speak softly and straightly.

I try to hit the ball along the ground, especially against fast bowlers. I also like the bat to come down in the right position and check if my body position is correct. If I'm really watching the ball carefully, then automatically I'm in a good position to hit it down the ground.
~Virender Sehwag

When a person becomes satisfied, he doesn't run after things, doesn't worry about it, and doesn't make efforts.
~Virender Sehwag

One should always be happy, irrespective of what you achieve in a match or in life. That's how I live my life.
~Virender Sehwag

It doesn't matter if you have one billion rupees in your bank account or one rupee. This is one life you get, and you'd rather spend it enjoying whatever you have, rather than thinking, 'Oh, I should have scored seven more runs, or I should get more money.'
~Virender Sehwag

In my view, if you have good or bad technique, it doesn't matter. But you will survive if you can adjust your game at international level, you are mentally strong, you know your strengths and how to score runs.
~Virender Sehwag

If you know your game, you can handle pressure; you can handle any kind of situation, back yourself, and play your own game and get success.
~Virender Sehwag

• Some more intersting and best quotes of Viru are given below:

When needed , Viru can give mouth shutting answers too... like this one!

The Best from Viru!!

Virender Sehwag is not only known for his explosive batting and hitting. But, the real reason behind his greatness is the important knocks that he has played for his team. So far, he has 23 Test centuries and 15 ODI centuries. His great hitting has often helped India post some big targets and some of the times very huge and mammoth targets too. Some of Viru's memorable knocks are listed below:

Best from the Test

• 195 vs Australia: It was the third test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2003/04 played at the MCG. Viru's knock of 195 is one of the finest knocks in Test cricket because he played this important innings on a bouncy pitch of Australia.  

Virender Sehwag 309 vs Pakistan.

• 309 vs Pakistan: In the Test match against Pakistan which started on 28th April 2004 in Multan, Sehwag did the unpredictable. He became the first ever Indian cricketer to score a triple century. One amazing incident of this innings is when Sehwag was batting on 295. The bowler was Saqlain Mushtaq. Sehwag was thinking of hitting a six. But Sachin(who was batting on 120) ordered him not to do so. Sachin said "You will not hit a six or I will hit you on your bum." But Sehwag did not cared and he did the unbelievable. He smashed the ball for six to complete his triple century. He scored 309 with 6 sixes in the memorable innings. After that he was given the name 'Multan ka Sultan'.
• 319 vs South Africa: It was the first test of the Test series against South Africa which started on 26th March 2008 at the  M Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. In this match on 28th March, Sehwag scored his second triple century. Against the most powerful bowling attack of the world, Sehwag did the unimaginable. He not only scored a 300, but he scored a 300 off just 278 balls, the fastest triple century. He got out on 319 giving an easy catch to Neil Mckenzie to slips. It was very unfortunate because he had a chance of scoring a 400. His innings included 42 fours and 5 sixes.
• 293 vs Sri LANKA: This knock was an important one. Sri Lanka batted first and posted a big total of 393. But Sehwag's 293 made it look small. Viru's knock helped India post a mammoth total of 726. India won it by an innings and 24 runs. But, it is significant because of some other reason. After the win, India became the top ranked Test team, a feat every team wants to achieve.

Sehwag and Gambhir celebrate after India reached 200 vs New Zealand.

The One-Day DHAMAKA!!!

• 126 vs England: This knock came in the 2002 Champions Trophy. Played in Colombo, England put up a target of 270. A target of 270 or above was never chased before at that ground. But Viru & Dada's 192 run opening partnership helped India chase down the target in 39.3 overs only. Viru scored 126 off 104 balls with a SR of 121.15 which included 21 fours and a six.
• 125* vs New Zealand: Played on 11 March 2009, the match was a rain affected game. Batting second, India needed to chase down 271. Gauti and Viru together scored an 201 runs in 23.3 overs before rain interrupted the game. By the Duckworth-Lewis method, India were 84 runs ahead of the par score and hence, they won it by 84 runs. In this match, Viru scored the fastest 100 by an Indian in just 60 balls. He scored 125* off 106 with a massive SR of 168.91.
• 146 vs Sri LANKA: In this match, the contribution of Viru helped India post their highest score in One Day history. He scored 146 off 102 with 17 fours and 6 sixes. India won the match by just 3 runs and Viru was named the Man of the Match.
• 175 vs Bangladesh: In this first match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 played at Dhaka, Sehwag scored a very important knock of 175 as it gave India a very excellent start in the World Cup that India won and made the people of the country proud.
• 219 vs West Indies: This innings needs no explanation. After the GOD Sachin Tendulkar, Sehwag became the second cricketer to score a double hundred in One Day International. Captaining the side, Viru scored 219 in 149 balls with 25 fours and 7 sixes. Sehwag unfortunately got out in the 47th over or else, he was going to score even bigger.

  

  Sehwag celebrates his Double Century vs West Indies on 8 December 2011.

   

Viru has played many more important, big and memorable knocks and these were the collection of only some of the best knocks played by our Champ VIRENDER SEHWAG.