Virender Sehwag
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2011: Highest innings in ODIs
[ From the archives of the Times of India]
Virender Sehwag hit 219 against West Indies at Indore, becoming only the second batsman to score an ODI double ton
Sehwag now holds world record for highest ODI score, beating Sachin Tendulkar’s 200 not out
Viru only player in world to have posted highest ODI & Test scores for his country (he made 319 in a Test against SA)
Sourav Ganguly’s analysis
-(As told to Sumit Mukherjee)
Sources:
1. The Times of India, October 21, 2015
2. The Times of India, October 21, 2015
Viru was whistling as we began chasing 325
Trent Bridge ton was Sehwag's best
As Virender Sehwag quits international cricket, Sourav Ganguly, the man under whose captaincy he made his Test debut, analyses what made Sehwag a true great who revolutionised the opener's role in Tests
In Ganguly's book, along with Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag is one of the greatest opening batn the world has seen. Vi smen the world has seen. Viru was not as technically gifted as Gavaskar, but his transformation from a middle-order batsman to a successful opener and the loads of runs he scored both home and overseas bear testimony to his unique craftsmanship with the willow. In fact, he went on to revolutionise the opener's role with his aggressive approach. What set him apart was his mindset. He always backed himself to take on bowlers, irrespective of their reputation. He has been criticised for taking undue risks at times and getting out, but if the ball landed in his `zone', he would back himself to hit it to the boundary, or beyond. I remember Viru hit ting a six to get to a hundred and send the ball over the rope to get to a double hundred.
His confidence stemmed from a deep-rooted belief in his own ability . I will never forget the NatWest Trophy final. When the two of us were walking out to chase England's 325, Sehwag was whistling. I was tense and told him to focus on the task.He told me, `Captain, we will win this game'! Sehwag didn't dabble too much into technique because he liked to keep things simple. Yet, he had the basics right. The head was always still and the still and the bat always came down straight. I have been privileged to see some of his best knocks and I would rate his century against England on a greentop at Trent Bridge in 2002 as his best in Test cricket. The manner in which he negotiated Hoggard, Harmison and Flintoff 's swing convinced me that he had it in him to be a top-class opener.
He was equally good against spin. He may rate Muralitharan as the toughest bowler he has faced, but I can assure you that Murali too would rate Sehwag among the toughest batsmen he has bowled to.
I remember Sehwag decimating a Sri Lanka attack comprising Murali and Herath in making 284 in just under a day's play at the Brabourne Stadium in 2009. He fell for 293 the next day, failing to complete what would have been his third triple century, but he never had any qualms about it.
And how can I forget his off-spin. He was a trifle under-rated but I always treated him as a trump card. It was only because of his ability as a spinner that allowed me to play three pacers, and rarely disappointed.
I would have loved to see him on the field while bidding adieu. I urge the BCCI to accord a fitting farewell to this extraordinarily gifted cricketer. It wouldn't be a bad idea to felicitate Viru -in India colours -during the Mumbai ODI.
The best of Sehwag
The Times of India, Oct 21 2015
Virender Sehwag played Test cricket like the ODIs, redefining the very grammar of the game. Nitin Naik picks five knocks that define the batsman...
309 vs Pakistan, Multan, March 2004
On those two crazy March days in 2004, Sehwag became the first Indian to score a triple hundred and pave the way for India's first Test win on Pakistan soil. He has seldom cared for history and records. Perhaps that disregard for history -and Sachin's advice -prompted him to hit Saqlain for a six when he was on 299. He later told the press that he wasn't aware that he was the first Indian to score a triple.
319 vs SA, Chennai, MAR 2008
South Africa racked up 540 on a pitch resembling a highway. After fielding for two days in excruciating heat, Sehwag made little of bowlers like Steyn, Ntini, and Morkel. Upper cuts over mid-wicket and rasping drives were played with stunning efficiency. The result: The fastest ever triple hundred off just 278 balls. He had prepared by not switching on the hotel room air-conditioner!
201* vs SL, Galle 2008
Ajantha Mendis was proving a mystery for India in the previous Test at SSC Colombo.Sehwag seemed on a mission to prove that wasn't true. Playing him more off the back foot, he attacked him and it rattled the youngster.Murali too was taken for runs. Sehwag however held his own and scored 201 to become only the opener after Sunil Gavaskar (Faisalabad, 198283) to carry his bat.
83 vs England, Chennai, Dec 2008
India were set a stiff target of 387 on a wearing track with a day and less than a session remaining. India's Mad Max essayed cuts over slips, thumped Panesar over mid-wicket and played robust drives off Anderson and Harmison in 90-odd minutes of chaotic entertainment. 83 runs off 68 balls meant India had 256 to get with nine wickets intact. Tendulkar got a ton to guide India home, but Sehwag's derring-do had made it possible.
293 vs Sri Lanka, Brabourne 2009
After India conceded 393 to Sri Lanka, Sehwag bulldozed the rival attack, but issed out on the chance to become the first batsman to score three triple tons when he fell for 293. He brutalised Murali by carving him through the off-side through the off-side against the spin. He later said, “I was having problems facing him though.“ India inflicted an innings defeat on the Lankans.
