13 Times Virender Sehwag showed that when it's his day, he is the Boss

Virender Sehwag is not Sachin Tendulkar or Sir Don Bradman but it will be fair to say that a cricketer like him is born only once in a century. If Sanath Jayasuriya changed the role of an opener in ODI cricket, Virender Sehwag did the same in Test cricket, that too while breaking more stereotypes as he did facing the red ball. Yes, there have been batsmen like Matthew Hayden, David Warner and Chris Gayle but Virender Sehwag has scored runs at a faster pace than anyone else in Test cricket. What made Viru special was the never ending swag he scored his runs with. There was no compassion for bowlers. When he used to hit good deliveries for boundaries with nimble footwork, even the world’s best were searching for confidence. Batsmen are shaky while facing their first ball or when they are nearing a hundred and then there was Virender Sehwag who believed in playing his natural game during this nervous time like no other. Sehwag was truly savage in his batting approach. There are some batsmen you can describe and there are some you should not. He is one of those batsmen you should not try to describe. But still, if there had to be one way to describe Sehwag, it can be through the savage things he has done on and off the field. Here is a list of some of the barbaric stuff done by the ‘Nawab of Najafgarh” throughout his career: 1. When he was too bored of playing dot balls and challenged the bowler to hit a six: Virender Sehwag. (© Getty Images) An obscure incident happened during one of Sehwag’s most popular innings. He was plundering South Africa’s bowling to Chennai dust on the flattest of batting tracks. The weather was hot and humid and the fusillade of strokes from Sehwag did not help the confidence of South African bowlers. By the time Viru got to 291, the left-arm spinner, Paul Harris shifted to the mainstream ploy of negative line by bowling into Sehwag’s pads from over the wicket. Maybe South African’s were trying to play with Sehwag’s patience but assuming that they have known Sehwag after his demolishing work over the years in international cricket, we can safely say that the proteas were not left with any other option. After a few dots, Sehwag went to Paul Harris and told him: ‘Come round the wicket and first ball I’ll hit you for a six.’ Harris accepted the challenge and the very first ball was hit for a straight six by Sehwag when there was a long-off, long-on, deep midwicket and a deep point in place. He moved to 297 with that six and with the help of few singles, he completed his second triple hundred in the next over. Sehwag could have taken his time to get to his triple century but that is just not him. He was tired with Harris bowling on the pads so rather than spending 10-15 minutes to get to the milestone, he challenged the bowler to bowl over the stumps and struck him for a six with fielders in the deep. 2. When he owned Shoaib Akhtar with a little help from Sachin Tendulkar: Indian batsman Virender Sehwag (L) celebrates his century as Pakistani pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar (R) walks past. (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty Images) Unlike the last incident, this one is hugely popular among cricket fans all over the world and it happened during another one of Virender Sehwag’s famous Test innings. Sehwag along with Sachin Tendulkar exposed Pakistan bowling with some chanceless batting in Multan. Shoaib Akhtar’s frustration reached its peak. He was hurling short balls at Sehwag and Viru was in no mood to play any of them. Shoaib ran out of patience and constantly urged Sehwag to play the pull/hook shot. After few such pleads from Shoaib, Sehwag pointed towards Sachin at the non-striker’s end and told Akhtar: “Wo udhar tera baap khada hai, wo maar ke dikhaega tujhe pull.” [That’s your father standing there. He will play a pull stroke against you.] A few balls later, Akhtar tried to bounce out Sachin at the first chance he got and Sachin (as Sehwag said) pulled him effortlessly for a boundary. Sehwag quietly went to Shoaib and reminded him saying: “Baap baap hota hai aur beta beta” [Father will always be the father]. What makes this incident every Indian fan’s favorite is the fact that firstly, it came against Pakistan. Secondly, it was the perfect way to break the confidence of Shoaib Akhtar, the man who possessed a bad boy image throughout his career for trying to challenge the God-like figure in India, Sachin Tendulkar. And last but not the least, it was Sachin Tendulkar himself who gave the finishing touch to this ideal story by sending a Shoaib Akhtar bouncer to the boundary line. A perfect bedtime story to share with your grandkids 40-50 years later, isn’t it? 3. When he followed his instincts and unheard the master: Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar. (Photo Source: AFP) Everyone know how great a fan Virender Sehwag has been of Sachin Tendulkar since his childhood. From his walk to his batting stance, Viru tried to copy Sachin in every possible aspect before realizing that there can only be one Sachin. He switched to his natural style of strokeplay but it was evident that he was going to be a loyal student of the master. But then, this was an occasion when Sehwag listened to his inner instincts instead of obeying to his role model. When Sehwag was nearing his triple hundred in Multan, Sachin was aware that he will try to get to the triple ton with a boundary. It was just a few months ago when Sehwag tried to reach his maiden double ton in Test cricket with a six but was caught at the boundary on 195 in Melbourne. That dismissal cost India the game as India’s batting collapsed to a modest total after Sehwag’s departure. Sachin didn’t want anything like that to happen again so he dared Sehwag to take his time or else he will hit his butt with his bat. He reminded him about it a several times and Sehwag did try to stay calm for a while but couldn’t control the urge for a big shot specially with a spinner bowling. He told Sachin that he can do whatever he wants to but he is going to hit a six. In the end, he smacked a Saqlain Mushtaq delivery over the mid-wicket for six to become the only Indian to hit a triple hundred in test cricket. “Well, we talked about not playing rash strokes. Of course, he hears me but I’m not sure if he ever listens.” Sachin Tendulkar said later explaining the situation. 4. When he didn’t care about what happened in the past: Virender Sehwag. (© Touchline Photo/ALLSPORT via Getty Images) Not really an incident but this perfectly describes the mindset of Virender Sehwag as a batsman. Again, taking the Viru’s 195 in Melbourne in December 2003 and his 309 in Multan in April 2004 in context, we know Sehwag got out trying to complete a splendid double hundred with a six but was caught in the deep. The situation was similar in Multan, except this time, Sehwag was not nearing a double hundred, he was close to a magnificent triple century. He would definitely be aware of what happened 5 months ago. How he was caught in the deep off Simon Katich mistiming a stroke and missed a double hundred in Australia. This time, he was close to a triple century, a feat no other Indian batsman had achieved yet. He was facing Saqlain Mushtaq, a bowler of much more bowling expertise than Katich. Any other batsman would refrain himself from going for a big shot again but Sehwag is different. In fact, he pre-planned to hit Saqlain Mushtaq for a six and did exactly that on 295. Sunil Gavaskar once said that to be a successful batsman, one should have the ability to forget what happened on the last ball. Maybe that is Virender Sehwag’s biggest secret. Maybe that is why he looks so unperturbed in his batting approach. He forgets what happened in the past or maybe he doesn’t care about it. He got out trying to hit a six to complete a double hundred barely 5 months ago but still he went for the same to reach a bigger milestone. Some may claim that Sehwag was lucky and they won’t be wrong completely but if you think practically, this just describes Sehwag’s batting mindset accurately – ‘Bat in the present, bat in the zone..’ 5. When he struck the ball out of the ground on purpose: Virender Sehwag. (Photo Source: PTI) This is a classic example of Virender Sehwag taking savagery to a new level. This did not happen in an international game so not many fans know about it but those aware of this already have this story as one of their favorite cricket anecdotes ever, specially Jeremy Snape (the man who shared this incident in the first place) who was Sehwag’s teammate in the match. Snape and Sehwag were playing together for Leicestershire in a game against Middlesex where Abdul Razzaq started reverse-swinging the ball. We all know how dangerous Pakistani bowlers can be when they get reverse-swing on the ball and the batsmen were far from being comfortable. Sehwag went to his batting partner and said, “We must lose this ball. I have a plan.” Next over, he struck that ball clean out of the stadium for a massive six. Umpires were forced to change the ball. It was obvious that the new ball will not swing like the preceding one did for Razzaq as it will take the fielding side some time to get the new cherry in condition to show any signs of reverse swing. Sehwag told partner: “We are okay for an hour.” This is how Virender Sehwag deals with his problems. The ball was reverse-swinging and Sehwag struck it for six on purpose to get the ball changed. Knowing he will have to strike the ball out of the park, he cut the problem off its root in his charismatic style. Pretty sure that would have left his partner Jeremy Snape impressed and he will remember that he played with someone like Sehwag for the rest of his life. 6. When he struck a six while singing a song and made batting look ridiculously easy: We all know Virender Sehwag’s love for Hindi songs. His batting partners, mostly his Delhi teammate and fellow team India opener, Gautam Gambhir has often talked about Sehwag humming innumerable Kishore Kumar, Sonu Nigam, Atif Aslam melodies while sending the ball out of the park. Cricket fans had only heard of this routine till Sehwag gave them a little sneak peak. It happened during the All Stars Cricket Series in USA last year. Sehwag was batting for Sachin’s blasters and had the microphone on as he was talking to the commentators in between deliveries. During the conversation and just as Alan Donald started his run up, Sehwag was heard humming a few lines Atif Aslam’s famous Bollywood track, “Tu Jaane Naa.’’ As the ball was bowled, Sehwag whipped it off his feet effortlessly for a six over square leg. Fans were stunned at how easy Sehwag made batting look there. Those who were not aware of Sehwag’s habit of singing while batting were left in awe. Little did they know how Sehwag has been doing it since the start of his career. Recently on twitter, Sehwag mentioned that he enjoyed singing Sonu Nigam’s “Ab Mujhe Raat Din” while scoring 165 against South Africa in the Kolkata Test in 2010. 7. When he trolled his own captain: (Photo Source: Help For Heroes Twitter Handle) Virender Sehwag played a charity game in England in 2015. The charity game was organized to raise funds for the UK Army and Sehwag teamed up with players like MS Dhoni, Herschelle Gibbs, Shahid Afridi to play for a team named ‘Help for Heroes’ against Rest of the World XI. The match raised funds on the basis of the number of runs and boundaries scored. Andrew Strauss was Virender Sehwag’s captain in that game and this is what Sehwag had to say for his skipper before the game: “If they selected me, Dhoni and Gibbs for a scheme of 1000 pounds per boundary then they would be bankrupt so picking Straussy was the right choice.” Andrew Strauss was his captain but Sehwag did not care and trolled him anyway. His team went on to win the game as Dhoni played a finishing knock. 8. When he gave a perfect reply to Geoffrey Boycott: Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag. (Photo by Waseem Gashroo/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) With his style of play, it was obvious that he will have a fair share of criticism for his risk taking nature. No one was surprised when it came from Geoffrey Boycott, a technician of his era. Boycott said: “Virender Sehwag is a talented but a brainless batsman” when Sehwag got out playing a pull shot in Sri Lanka. Sehwag replied him saying: “Boycott can say what he wants. He once batted the whole day and hit just one four.” Viru never bothered to pay heed to such criticism and continued to play his natural game. He was right there. Geoffrey Boycott once batted through the entire day’s play day in Perth against Australia and struck just one boundary in the course of play. 9. When he just wanted to keep it simple Virender Sehwag. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Indian team toured New Zealand before the World Cup in 2003 and had a torrid time there. All the Indian batsmen (even the Kiwi batsmen on a few occasions) struggled on the seaming pitches in New Zealand except Virender Sehwag who notched up a couple of hundreds in the 7-match ODI series. Sehwag was awarded the man-of-the-match award in both these games. After one of these games, Sehwag was asked by Ravi Shastri in the presentation ceremony about how he was stroking the ball so smoothly on a tough pitch where the ball was seaming throughout the innings. Sehwag in his carefree style replied: “There was nothing like that. The ball was coming on my bat nicely and I just struck the ball.” Well, no one can complicate Viru’s mindset, no one. 10. His mantra of playing the spinners: Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag plays a shot during his century innings on the first One-Day International (ODI) in Rajkot on December 15, 2009. Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field, India are 217 runs at the loss of one wicket. Sri Lanka lost the preceding Test series 2-0 and both teams won a Twenty20 match each. (Photo by PAL PILLAI/AFP/Getty Images) Just like in New Zealand, Indian batsmen struggled big time during the Test series in Sri Lanka in 2008. None among the “Fab 4” in India’s middle order was able to pick which way Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan are going to turn the ball. But Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were batting on a different pitch or facing different bowlers. Sehwag scored 201* in the second Test when the overall team total was just 329 which speaks volumes of difference in the comfort level of Sehwag and other batsmen in Sri Lanka. He was asked by a cricket writer the reason behind his dominance against the Sri Lankan spinners and he gave a perfect Sehwagesque answer. He said: “I don’t consider a spinner as a bowler. I never did.” With that, Sehwag answered his dominance over every spinner in the world he played against. 11. When he just kept trolling Shoaib Akhtar: Virender Sehwag shares a lighter moment with Shoaib Akthar. (Photo by Pal Pillai/IDI via Getty Images) Going back to Sehwag’s 309 in Multan for one last time, you will find him trolling Shoaib Akhtar once again. We have discussed how Shoaib was hurling short balls at Viru continuous urging him to hook the ball. Sehwag being at his placid best looked at the close-in fielders and said: “Ye bowling kar raha hai ya bheekh maang raha hai.” [Is he bowling or begging?] Even the Pakistani fielders could not stop laughing at Sehwag’s comments. Since the bowler didn’t stop sledging Sehwag after that, it was after this moment that the famous “Baap baap hota hai” incident including Sachin Tendulkar took place. 12. His retirement note: Virender Sehwag. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Virender Sehwag announced his retirement by posting a letter on his Twitter account. He didn’t play a farewell game and create much hype around it but announced his decision without much fuss. This is what the last line of his letter had to say: “I also want to thank everyone for all the cricketing advice given to me over the years and apologise for not accepting most of it. I had a reason for not following them. I did it my way.” That is a self-explanatory statement from Sehwag. The last line he wrote in his retirement letter completely defines his attitude. Even in that, he didn’t keep himself away from trolling a few people. 13. Special Case: When Sehwag kept the team above himself Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag. (Photo by Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP/GettyImages) This isn’t a case of Sehwag’s savagery but it was a moment when he showed that he cares for the team more than himself. Sehwag was batting on 199 facing Muralitharan with Ishant Sharma (India’s number 11 in that game) on the other end. He had an easy chance to get a single off the third ball of the over and complete his double hundred but he refused as he did not want to expose the tailender against Murali. Sehwag then played the last ball of the over past square leg, took a single, completed a well deserved double hundred and kept the strike. He was proved right by Ishant to guard him as in the next over, he fell to Ajantha Mendis when he had to survive the over for only 2 balls. Sehwag carried his bat through the innings scoring 201* as India bundled out for 329 in the first innings. They won the match with Sehwag’s double hundred creating a difference between both the sides and Viru ended up as the man of the match. Not sure if Virender Sehwag or Virender SWAG! Written by Shubh Aggarwal

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13 Times Virender Sehwag showed that when it's his day, he is the Boss

11. When he just kept trolling Shoaib Akhtar:

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