Image Source: timesofindia.indiatimes
Virender Sehwag, who represented India from 1999 to 2013, is widely regarded as one of the most destructive openers in Indian cricket history. His tenure coincided with India’s victories in significant tournaments, including the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, the 2007 T20 World Cup, and the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Sehwag emerged as the top run-scorer during the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, amassing an impressive total of 271 runs.
Sehwag’s Domestic Career
Sehwag started playing for the Delhi cricket team in first-class matches during the 1997–98 season. He caught the eye of selectors after showcasing strong performances in domestic cricket, leading to his inclusion in the U-19 team for the South Africa tour in 2000. His consistent performance further grabbed the attention of selectors, resulting in his debut in international cricket shortly thereafter.
Sehwag’s ODI journey began on a rough note with a score of just 1 run against Pakistan in Mohali in April 1999. His bowling display was also subpar, conceding 35 runs from 3 overs.
After being sidelined for nearly 20 months, Sehwag finally got another chance during the home series against Zimbabwe in December 2000. But it wasn’t until March 2001 against Australia in Bangalore, when Sehwag truly made his mark. He scored 58 runs off 54 balls and took three wickets, and earned his first Man of the Match award.
Sehwag entered the Test arena in late 2001 during against South Africa. India lost the game, but Sehwag made a stunning debut by scoring 105 runs.
In early 2004, Sehwag etched his name in history by becoming the first Indian to achieve a triple century in Test cricket. He scored 309 runs against Pakistan in the first Test in Multan, surpassing V. V. S. Laxman’s previous Indian record of 281 against Australia.
Across his Test career, Sehwag amassed an impressive 8,586 runs in 104 Test matches at an average of 49.34. In ODIs, he scored 8,273 runs from 251 matches. Sehwag also briefly played in the T20I format, featuring in 19 matches and scoring 394 runs.
Sehwag’s IPL Career
In IPL 2008, Sehwag was a part of the Delhi Daredevils team both as a batsman and a captain, and guided them to the knockouts where they lost to Rajasthan Royals. In the inaugural IPL season, Sehwag amassed 406 runs at a strike rate of 184.54. However, his personal best season came in 2012, when he piled up 495 runs at a strike rate of 161.23. He played his last IPL for the Delhi franchise in 2013, scoring 295 runs in 13 games.
In 2014, Sehwag joined the Punjab Kings, scoring 455 runs at a strike rate of 144.44. 2015 was Sehwag’s last IPL season and also one of the most dismal, as he managed only 99 runs in eight matches. Overall, Sehwag signed off his IPL career with 2728 runs in 104 matches at a strike rate of 155.44. His highest score was 122.
Top 5 Records of Virender Sehwag
1. Fastest Test Triple Century in Tests
In March 2008, during the first Test match of the series between India and South Africa in Chennai, Sehwag set a remarkable record. He dominated the proceedings by smashing 319 runs off just 304 balls, which included 42 fours and five sixes. Sehwag reached the 300-run milestone in just 278 deliveries, making him the fastest player to achieve a triple century in Test cricket. This record still stands unbroken after over 14 years, surpassing the previous record of 362 balls set by Matthew Hayden against Zimbabwe in 2003.
2. Two Triple Hundreds in Tests
Sehwag is the only Indian player to have achieved the remarkable feat of scoring two triple centuries. His first triple century came against Pakistan in March 2004 in Multan, where he dominated their potent bowling attack to score 309 runs off 375 balls. Sehwag repeated this exceptional performance against South Africa in 2008 in Chennai. Currently, it seems unlikely that any other Indian cricketer will match Sehwag’s record of two triple centuries. While Karun Nair is the only other Indian batter to have scored a triple ton, he is not currently part of the Indian Test squad.
3. Test Triple Century with a Six
Sehwag made history by becoming the first batsman in Test cricket history to complete a triple century with a six. When he was batting on 295, he smashed a six off Saqlain Mushtaq to reach the milestone of 300 runs.
This feat was replicated by Kumar Sangakkara in 2014, making him the second batsman to achieve this rare milestone in Test cricket.
4. Most runs by an Indian batsman in a day in Test cricket
During the final match of the three-match Test series between India and Sri Lanka in December 2009, Sehwag achieved another record that still remains unbroken. Sri Lanka batted first, setting a target of 393 runs, with Tillakaratne Dilshan top-scoring with 109 runs off 160 deliveries.
On the second day’s first session, Sehwag, along with Murali Vijay, took to the crease for India. Sehwag’s aggressive stroke play was on full display as he smashed an impressive 284 runs on that day alone. This remarkable feat stands as the highest number of runs scored by an Indian batsman in a single day of Test cricket.
5. Most First-Ball Boundaries in ODIs
Sehwag was renowned for his aggressive approach, often putting pressure on the opposition from the outset by attacking the bowling line-up. Throughout his ODI career, Sehwag faced the first delivery of the innings 124 times, and impressively, he dispatched 20 of those balls to the boundary, establishing the record for the most boundaries off the first delivery faced by a batsman in the 50-over format.
