Virender Sehwag 

     
India

Full name Virender Sehwag

Born October 20, 1978, Delhi
Current age 31 years 47 days
Major teams India, Asia XI, Delhi, Delhi Daredevils,ICC World XI, India Blue, Leicestershire,Rajasthan Cricket Association
President's XI
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak

Batting | Bowling | Career statistics | Profile | Notes | Latest Articles | Photos+ | Latest Photos

Batting and fielding averages
Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St

Tests 72 123 4 6248 319 52.50 7767 80.44 17 19 885 75 56 0

ODIs 211 206 8 6730 130 33.98 6592 102.09 11 35 924 110 80 0

T20Is 12 11 0 223 68 20.27 154 144.80 0 1 24 10 1 0

First-class 135 223 8 10735 319 49.93 31 37 115 0

List A 281 271 13 8683 130 33.65 12 52 104 0

Twenty20 50 49 4 1163 94* 25.84 742 156.73 0 7 139 45 8 0

Bowling averages
Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10

Tests 72 68 2551 1312 30 5/104 5/118 43.73 3.08 85.0 0 1 0

ODIs 211 130 4027 3539 87 3/25 3/25 40.67 5.27 46.2 0 0 0

T20Is 12 1 6 20 0 - - - 20.00 - 0 0 0

First-class 135 7182 3745 94 5/104 39.84 3.12 76.4 1 0

List A 281 5632 4832 133 4/17 4/17 36.33 5.14 42.3 2 0 0

Twenty20 50 17 258 370 16 3/14 3/14 23.12 8.60 16.1 0 0 0

 Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10

Career statistics
Test debut South Africa v India at Bloemfontein, Nov 3-6, 2001 scorecard

Last Test India v Sri Lanka at Mumbai (BS), Dec 2-6, 2009 scorecard

Test statistics - Statsguru Test analysis -

                    
ODI debut India v Pakistan at Mohali, Apr 1, 1999 scorecard
Last ODI India v Australia at Guwahati, Nov 8, 2009 scorecard

ODI statistics - Statsguru ODI analysis -

                  
T20I debut South Africa v India at Johannesburg, Dec 1, 2006 scorecard
Last T20I New Zealand v India at Wellington, Feb 27, 2009 scorecard

T20I statistics - Statsguru T20I analysis -

                 
First-class 1997/98
debut
Last First-class India v Sri Lanka at Mumbai (BS), Dec 2-6, 2009 scorecard
List A debut 1997/98
Last List A India v Australia at Guwahati, Nov 8, 2009 scorecard
Twenty20 debut Leicestershire v Yorkshire at Leicester, Jun 16, 2003 scorecard
Last Twenty20 Royal Challengers Bangalore v Delhi Daredevils at Bangalore, Oct 17,
2009scorecard
Profile

Virender Sehwag is a primal talent whose rough edges make him all the more appealing. By the time he had scored his first
centuries in one-day cricket (off 70 balls, against New Zealand) and Test cricket (on debut, against South Africa, from 68 for
4), he was already eliciting comparisons with his idol Sachin Tendulkar. It is half true. Like Tendulkar, he is short and square
with curly hair, plays the straight drive, backfoot punch and whip off the hips identically, but leaves Tendulkar in the shade
when it comes to audacity.

Asked to open the innings in Tests on the tour of England in 2002, Sehwag proved an instant hit, cracking an 80 and a 100
in the first two matches. Regularly thereafter, he kept conjuring pivotal innings at the top of the order, none as significant
as India's first 300 (which he bought up, characteristically, with a six), at Multan against Pakistan in early 2004.

Sehwag bowls effective, loopy offspin, and is a reliable catcher in the slips. He also once almost split the cricket world:
when he was banned for a match by the ICC referee Mike Denness on grounds of excessive appealing, the Indian board
wasn't prepared to listen, and even played an unofficial Test with South Africa to prove a point. When a compromise was
finally reached, Sehwag was back to his merry ways.

Though he continued to dominate in the Test arena, Sehwag's one-day form dipped alarmingly - after January 2004, he
went through a period of 60 matches where he averaged under 29. Despite his fitness levels dropping and his one-day spot
being under threat - he was dropped from the side for the home series against West Indies in early 2007 - Sehwag
continued to sparkle in Tests, as shown by his magnificent 254 at Lahore. In June, he came excruciatingly close to scoring a
century before lunch in the first day against West Indies in St Lucia, a feat never accomplished before by an Indian
batsman.

After a string of poor scores, Sehwag was dropped from India's Test squad to Bangladesh in 2007, and was not considered
for either the Test or ODI sides to England. He was a surprise pick for the Test team to tour Australia after not being named
in the initial list of probables.
Sehwag had to wait for two matches before he made a strong comeback in the Perth Test, where he gave the innings'
momentum with knocks of 29 and 43, and took two wickets with his offspin in Australia's second innings, to help India claim
one of their greatest wins. He followed it up with scores of 63 and an imperious 151 - his first century in the team's second
innings - to help India draw the Test in Adelaide. Then, in the first Test against South Africa in Chennai, he made an even
more emphatic statement, rattling off the quickest triple-century in Test cricket, off just 278 balls. He eventually made 319 -
the highest score by an Indian - and in the process became only the third batsman, after Don Bradman and Brian Lara, to
pass 300 twice in Tests. In his next Test series against Sri Lanka in 2008, Sehwag thrived while the Indian middle-order
struggled against the mystery spin of Ajantha Mendis. His double-hundred and half-century were instrumental in India
winning the Galle Test.