Indian batsman Virender Sehwag has announced his retirement from all forms of global cricket. In the final tie of the tournament, he got India an early break-through by scalping Sri Lanka’s destructive opener Upul Tharanga, who was caught in the slip by Sehwag. worldwide to winners, the fortunes of the Indian cricket team changed big-time at the turn of the millennium due to a variety of reasons. With Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman perishing and only 54 runs on the board, it was this Viru’s doughty knock that made sure India drew the match. With the help of Sehwag’s 293 and Dhoni’s 100, India were able to crush Sri Lanka by an innings and 24 runs. The most remarkable feature of that knock was the ease with which he reached the landmark, completing the double-hundred with more than six overs to spare. He went about his job in the most uncomplicated manner imaginable. He did not go out on the field and smash every ball blindly.
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Sehwag was different. Nobody played this 300-year-old game like he did because nobody traversed the sublime and ridiculous, exhilarating and exasperating like he did. When he was on song, Sehwag was an utter delight to watch.
Whether it was first delivery of an over or the last ball of a day’s play, he would make no distinction. His disregard for personal milestones gave him the freedom to play with gay abandon. That was Sehwag’s style – effortless batting, easy ways and the ability to hit even a swinging yorker bowled at 145 kmph past point for a boundary. His assault on a bowler – or a set of bowlers – would always be part of a well thought-out strategy that revolved around taking quick control of the innings. The game and fans will definitely miss the dynamic Sehwag, for sure. When a kid is getting hooked to cricket, the first obsession is finding out who the best batsmen of all time are.
His Test records speak for themselves. Second innings and a stiff target usually means an opening batsman comes under enormous pressure. He is still the only Indian willower to have a triple century in his name, having done so twice against Pakistan (309 in Multan) and South Africa (319 in Chennai). Sehwag also didn’t disappoint, as he struck 84 and 102 in the first two Tests he played as an opener, thereby sealing his place at the top, a position where he continued to flourish.
His game had an X-factor that made him a high impact player. When Sehwag put runs on the board, his brisk rate of scoring would always hand India an instant advantage over the opponents.
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After his global debut in 2000, Khan’s most prominent test performance came on the England tour of 2007, when he scalped 18 wickets at an average of 20.33. He is one of only four batsmen after Don Bradman, Chris Gayle and Brian Lara to score two triple-centuries in a career. He reached the mark off 278 balls.
