Virender Sehwag

Full Name of Virender

Virender Sehwag
Sehwag:

Birth Date of Virender

20 Oct, 1978
Sehwag:

Popular Name: Virender Sehwag

Role of Virender
Batsman, Bowler
Sehwag:

Playing Style of
Right-hand bat, Right-arm offbreak
Virender Sehwag:

Virender Sehwag (born on 20 October 1978, in Delhi) also known as "Viru"

is an Indian cricketer (batsman) and member of the Indian national cricket
team since 1999 (one-dayers) and 2001 (Tests). He is an extremely attacking
right-handed opening batsman and an occasional right-arm off-spin bowler.
He is the record holder for the highest score made by an Indian in Test
cricket in a single innings (319), the fastest triple century in Test cricket
(reached 300 off only 278 balls) and is the only Indian to score a triple
century in Test cricket. He is one of the only three players to have scored
two triple hundreds in Tests, along with Don Bradman and Brian Lara.
Early years
The son of a grain merchant, Sehwag spent his childhood in a bungalow in
a joint family with siblings, uncles, aunts and sixteen cousins. Though now
settled in New Delhi, the Sehwag family hailed from Haryana. Sehwag was
the third of four children born to father Krishan and mother Krishna Sehwag,
with two older sisters Manju, Anju and younger brother Vinod. His father
attributes his interest in cricket to a toy bat which he was given when he was
seven months old He attended Arora Vidya School in Delhi, and pestered his
parents to let him play cricket, on the basis that he was not academically
gifted. His father tried to end his career when he broke a tooth as a child in
1990, but Sehwag evaded the ban with the help of his mother.
Cricketing career
Early domestic cricket
Sehwag made his debut for Delhi cricket team in first class cricket in the
1997–98 season. He was selected to the North Zone cricket team for
the Duleep Trophy the following 1998-99 season, ending fifth in the total
runscoring list. The following year he was fourth on the Duleep Trophy run
scoring list, including a 274, the highest score of the competition. This was
attained against South Zone at Agartala in just 327 balls, and followed a
rapid 187 from just 175 in a Ranji Trophy match against Punjab. He was then
selected for the U-19 team national team, which toured South Africa. He was
seventh in the 2000–01 season with two centuries, but his consistency
earned the attention of selectors and he became a regular member of the
national team in mid 2001.

Since his international career started, he has continued to play for Delhi in
the domestic competition whilst he is not occupied with international duty
and has captained North Zone to victory in the Deodhar Trophy in 2004–05
and 2005–-06. He also had a short stint with Leicestershire in county cricket
in 2003, but a back injury lead to a mutual termination of the contract.
ODI career
Sehwag's ODI career started poorly when he scored 1
against Pakistan in Mohali in April 1999. His bowling performance was also
ineffective and expensive, conceding 35 runs off 3 overs.

Sehwag had his international breakthrough in Sri Lanka in August 2001 when
he was promoted to the opening slot for the tri-series also involving New
Zealand. The promotion to open the innings came because regular
opener Sachin Tendulkar was absent due to a foot injury. In the match
against New Zealand that was to decide the finalist, he scored his maiden
century from 69 balls. The century is the second fastest ODI century for an
Indian behind Mohammad Azharuddin's 62 ball effort, also against New
Zealand. This was his first score beyond 50 in ten matches and saw him
named man of the match. This performance earned him a regular spot in the
ODI squad in the middle-order. An innings of note in 2002 was the 22 ball
half-century against Kenya in Bloemfontein, tying the second fastest 50 by
an Indian.
Virender Sehwag had a mediocre 2003 Cricket World Cup, scoring 299 runs
at an average of 27, he top scored with 82 in the loss against Australia in the
final.

Even with his inconsistent form, he earned 3 MoM awards in 2004 and
2004/05 ODI season with one award each against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and
Pakistan. In the match against Pakistan in Kochi he scored 108 off 95 balls,
his first century in eighteen months which set up a 95 run victory. Sehwag
then started a two year streak without a century in ODIs, as well as having
his ODI tour of Pakistan in early 2006 curtailed due to a shoulder injury. His
drought in limited overs cricket has puzzled cricket experts because of the
consistent performances in Test matches with a high scoring rate has not
translated into significant contributions in the ODI format of the
game. Sehwag was dropped from the ODI Squad for the WI-IND 4 Match ODI
series. With debate over whether he needs to be included in the 2007 Cricket
World Cup squad, captain Dravid's insistence on his retention paved the way
to being named in the world cup squad.[26] However, despite this assurance,
Sehwag's form has continued to decline, and he has now failed to pass 17 in
his last seven games. India have won only two of those games.

Sehwag started the 2007 World Cup in poor form, only being picked for the
side because of Rahul Dravid's wishes. He scored poorly in the first group
match but bounced back to hit a magnificent 114 from 87 deliveries against
lowly ranked Bermuda. The Indian team scored 413-5, the highest team total
in a World Cup match, and went on to win the match but this was their only
win in the tournament.
Test career

Sehwag's maiden century in mid-2001 in Sri Lanka was not enough to gain
selection in the Test team for the corresponding series. Sehwag made his
Test debut in late 2001 in the First Test against South
Africa in Bloemfonteinas a middle-order batsman. He scored 105 on debut
despite the South African win. He was given a one match suspension by ICC
match referee Mike Denness for overappealing in the Second Test in Port
Elizabeth, which lead to political dispute amongst the ICC and the two
countries. He returned for the home series in 2001-02
against England and Zimbabwe. After scoring two half-centuries in the
preceding series, he was promoted to a makeshift-opener on the 2002
England tour after the failure of previous openers and an experiment with
wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta. He scored 84 in the new role at Lord's and
then a century in the Second Test at Trent Bridge, and has batted there in
Test matches ever since. He scored his maiden home-century of 147 in the
First Test against the West Indies in the 2002-03 home season in Mumbai,
which was at the time his top score in Test matches, earning him his first
man of the match award. After a poor tour to New Zealand, he scored passed
50 for the first time in 9 innings when he scored 130 in a Test
at Mohali against New Zealand in late 2003.

He earned selection for the ICC World XI which played Australia in the 2005
ICC Super Series, where he top scored in the first innings with 76. He
attracted some criticism at the end of 2005, having failed to pass 50 in four
Tests against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. He also missed the Second Test
against Sri Lanka in Delhi due to illness, but returned to the team in the
following match in Ahmedabad and captained the Indians to victory
whilst Rahul Dravid was ill.

Sehwag scored his first century in a year when he compiled 254 against
Pakistan in the First Test in Lahore in January 2005, the highest ever Test
score at a strike rate of over 100 and the second fastest double century
ever. In doing so he was involved in a 410 run partnership with captain Rahul
Dravid, the highest ever against Pakistan and in Pakistan, and just four short
of a new world record opening partnership in Test matches. [56] Sehwag went
on to lampoon the Pakistani attack lead by Shoaib Akhtar. Sehwag however
failed to pass 50 in the following two Tests against Pakistan, and aside from
a 76* in the Second Test in Mohali against England, fell seven times for less
than 20 runs to the new ball , leading criticism of his position in the team.

He has a habit of making big centuries, with his last eleven centuries having
all been over 150, including two triple centuries and further three double
centuries which surpassed Sir Donald Bradman's record of having seven
consecutive centuries beyond 150.

He has been noted for his record against Pakistan, averaging over 90 against
and in Pakistan, scoring four centuries against India's arch rivals. The
disparity in his average in the first and second innings is often noted, being
68 and 25 and all but one of his fifteen Test centuries having come in the
first innings.
Sehwag in Non-India Colours
He was selected in the ICC World XI for the 2005 ICC Super Series against
Australia in late 2005, but only managed 64 runs at an average of 21.33.
Earlier in 2005, he was selected for the Asian Cricket Council XI for the
fundraising match against the ICC World XI in the aftermath of the 2004
Indian Ocean tsunami.
Playing style

Sehwag was often compared to Sachin Tendulkar in his early days due to the
similar batting style, build and appearance. He has acknowledged numerous
times that he consciously attempted to model his playing style on
Tendulkar's in his youth.

Sehwag's technique is often cited as being particularly unorthodox, often

backing away (considered technically incorrect) to free his arms whilst
playing his shots, in particular to cut or drive spinners inside out. He is
frequently cited by commentators for his extremely strong (physically)
square cutting and upper cutting and power through the off-side.

Virender Sehwag is often noted for his extremely aggressive style of batting,
and in 2005 he was described by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack as the "most
exciting opener in the world" due to his consistency inTest matches, though
his strike rate in Test cricket was inferior to that of Adam
Gilchrist and Shahid Afridi. Sehwag has also been noted for his apparent
disregard for the match situation, exhibited by aggressive batting even when
his team is in a poor position or after being out manoeuvred by the bowler in
the recent past.This is a two-edged sword as it allows him to not be
psychologically hindered by previous failures, but can also lead to excessive
aggression. He was quoted by Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer as a
sophisticated slogger.
Controversy

In November 2001, Sehwag was involved in controversy in the Second Test

match between India and South Africa at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth,
when he was given a one Test ban for "excessive appealing" by ICC Match
referee Mike Denness. He was one of six Indian players to be receive bans,
four of which were suspended bans. The unprecedented severity of the bans
precipitated an international cricketing, political and administrative crisis
with the Indian cricket establishment threatened to call off the tour unless
Mike Denness was removed as match referee from the third test match
Personal life

Sehwag married Aarti Alhawat in April, 2004 under heavy security in a media
publicized wedding which was hosted by Arun Jaitley, the union law minister
of India at his residence.[84] The couple have a son, born on October 18th
2007.

Sehwag is fondly referred to in the media as the Nawab of

Najafgarh, Najafgarh being his home locality in Delhi. A lifelong vegetarian,
Sehwag owns a vegetarian eatery, Sehwag Favourites, which opened in late
2005 in the Fun Republic cineplex in Delhi, following the footsteps of his role
model Sachin Tendulkar. The majority of the products on the menu are
named after cricketing themes related to his memorable innings, such
as Multan Ke Sultan Ki Tikdi, meaning dish for three persons, which alludes
to his triple century in Multan and is priced at 309 rupees. There are plans to
expand the chain across India with a second outlet already planned
in Ludhiana. Sehwag does charity work for UNICEF .
Achievements
Awards

 Arjuna Award (2002)

Records

 Only Indian batsman to have scored two triple centuries in Test

cricket. He is the third batsman in the history of Test cricket, to score
two triple centuries (first two being Sir Donald Bradman and Brian
Lara).
 Third fastest century in ODI cricket by an Indian - 100 runs off 69
balls against New Zealand in 2001.
 Second fastest ODI 50 by an Indian - a record, he shares
with Rahul Dravid, Kapil Dev and Yuvraj Singh - when he took 22 balls
against Kenya in 2001.
 Five double centuries - the first three of which came against
Pakistan. Greg Chappell is the only other player to have scored
multiple double centuries against Pakistan (2)
 Highest score by an Indian batsman in Test cricket. He first
achieved this when he scored 309 against Pakistan in Multan in 2004,
and bettered his previous record in March 2008 at Chennai against
South Africa by scoring 319.
 Fastest triple century: His second triple century scored
at Chennai on 27-28 March 2008 against South Africa was the fastest
in terms of balls faced by any batsman (off 278 balls).
 Consecutive 150+ scores in Test cricket: He holds the record for
consecutive test hundreds converted to scores of 150+, at 11.
 He is one of the only five players to have scored more test
hundreds than test fifties(15c/14f), along with Don
Bradman(29c/13f), Azharuddin(22c/21f), Matthew Hayden (30c/27f)
and Kevin Pietersen(13c/11f) as on August 7, 2008.
 Two consecutive double century partnerships in a Test innings.
He achieved this record, for the first two wickets in Chennai on 27-28
March 2008 (with Wasim Jaffer and Rahul Dravid respectively). This
was the first time in Test history that the first two wickets in an
innings have resulted in double-century stands.