When it comes to cricket, no other country has as much of an emotional connect with the game than India. We love it when our players win games for us and are always trying to figure out newer things about them through their interviews or social media. One player who wears his heart on his sleeve is definitely Virender Sehwag.
The ex-Indian opener was a brilliant batsman who was able to draw crowds to the game with his skill. Here are five reasons we love Viru:
1) He never cared about the situation:
Most of the batsmen who come to play a game generally analyse the situation and then adapt their batting accordingly. However, Virender Sehwag was one of the biggest exceptions to this case. He was always ready to come out with his attacking game and take the bowlers to the cleaners with his clean hitting.
Virender Sehwag did get into trouble with the management for sometimes loosely throwing away his wicket but they later understood that he must play his natural game in order to succeed so they let him be.
2) His quirky nature:
A lot of people are aware that Sehwag was a destructive batsman but the ones close to him know that he is excellent company. With Sehwag around, nobody, not even the great Sachin Tendulkar was spared and he would always leave his teammates in splits with his comments.
Post his retirement, Virender Sehwag has taken over the role of a commentator and a social media expert. He leaves some of the funniest comments and is always looking to entertain the audience with his quirky and sometimes naughty quips.
3) How he achieved milestones:
While most batsmen in their 90s would rather play it safe than play a risky shot in order to reach their milestone, Virender Sehwag was the stark opposite. Even during such a nervy and delicate phase in his innings, he would not shy away from the big shot.
On multiple occasions, Sehwag has reached a milestone in style – by smashing a six or a boundary and raising his bat. Not many people would have the guts to even try something like that.
4) His big game approach:
Sehwag always approached big games in a different way than others. In the 2003 World Cup Final, he was the only played who had managed to score post 50 and this was against the best Australian bowling line-up of all time.
He scored against all the big nations and would never let the pitch of bowlers dictate the game. This made them fearful and Sehwag would pounce on the smallest opportunity afforded to him.
5) His record-breaking ability:
One of the biggest concerns about Indians batting was that they would never be able to make a score post 300 individually. All this changed when Virender Sehwag became the first batsman from India to score a 300+ score. He did that against arch-rivals Pakistan nevertheless in their own backyard.
He then followed this up a few years later with another 300+ score, against the mighty South Africans boasting of a Dale Steyn in his prime. Sehwag also blasted a 200+ score in ODI cricket, becoming only the second Indian to achieve the feat.
By Rohit Nair
