16 Facts about Virender Sehwag - The dashing opener

16 Facts about Virender Sehwag – The dashing opener: A relentless quest for glory coupled with impeccable timing, Virender Sehwag has redefined the chase for cherry. From hitting the first for a boundary to playing mammoth knocks under scorching sun, he carried the Indian “uncompromising” hopes for more than a decade.

With 8586 runs at an average of 49.34 and a strike rate of 82.23 in Tests to 8273 runs at a strike rate of 104.33 from 251 ODIs, Sehwag has been the flag bearer for aggressive brand of cricket in true sense.

Currently playing for Haryana, Virender Sehwag’s last 3 innings (92,37 and 51) can easily sum up his current form. 38 centuries and 70 fifties across the international level along with a double century in ODI and couple of tripe centuries in Test cricket speaks decibels for this man.

He possess a strike rate of 145.38 in 19 T20I he had represented so far. Virender Sehwag has amassed 14396 runs from 191 first class matches at an average of 47.35 with 41 hundreds and and 55 fifties to his credit. He has notched up 4 double centuries in Test cricket. He has also scalped 136 wickets in the international arena.

Here are the 16 Facts about Virender Sehwag – The dashing opener:

1. Born and Brought up:

Virender Sehwag was born on October 20, 1978, Najafgarh, Delhi. Sehwag was born in a Hindu Jat family of a grain merchant. Virender Sehwag spent his childhood in a joint family with siblings, uncles, aunts and sixteen cousins. Though now settled in New Delhi, the Sehwag family hails from Haryana.

Virender Sehwag was the third of four children born to father Krishan and mother Krishna Sehwag, with two older sisters Manju and Anju, and younger brother Vinod.

Virender Sehwag married Aarti Ahlawat in April 2004 under heavy security cover in a widely publicised wedding hosted by Arun Jaitley, the then Union law minister of India, at his residence. The couple have two sons, Aryavir, born on 18 October 2007 and Vedant, born in 2010.

2. Different caps:

Virender Sehwag has played for India, Asia XI, Delhi, Delhi Daredevils, ICC World XI,India Blue, Kings XI Punjab, Leicestershire,Marylebone Cricket Club,Rajasthan Cricket Association President’s XI.

3. Nicknames: 

He is lovingly known as Viru. Terms like “Multan ka Sultan” and ” Najafgharh ke Nawab” are associated to him.

4. First Class carrier:

Virender Sehwag made his debut for Delhi cricket team in first class cricket in the 1997–98 season. He was selected to the North Zone cricket team for the Duleep Trophy the following 1998–99 season, ending fifth in the total runscoring list.

The following year he was fourth on the Duleep Trophy run scoring list, including a 274, the highest score of the competition.This was attained against South Zone at Agartala in just 327 balls, and followed a rapid 187 from just 175 in a Ranji Trophy match against Punjab.

Virender Sehwag was then selected for the U-19 team which toured South Africa. He was seventh in the 2000–01 season with two centuries,but his consistency earned the attention of selectors and he became a regular member of the national team in mid-2001.

5. Colored call up:

Virender Sehwag’s ODI career started poorly when he scored 1 against Pakistan in Mohali in April 1999 when he fell lbw to Shoaib Akhtar. His bowling performance was also ineffective and expensive, conceding 35 runs off 3 overs. He did not get another chance in the national team for 20 months.

6. Coming of age:

Virender Sehwag had his international breakthrough in Sri Lanka in August 2001 when he was promoted to the opening slot for the tri-series also involving New Zealand. The promotion to open the innings came because regular opener Sachin Tendulkar was absent due to a foot injury. In the match against New Zealand that was to decide the finalist, he scored his maiden century from 69 balls.

7. 2003 World Cup memories:

Virender Sehwag had a not so impressive 2003 Cricket World Cup, scoring 299 runs at an average of 27, he top scored with 82 in the loss against Australia in the final.

8. Permanent class:

Even with his inconsistent form, he earned 3 Man of the match awards in 2004/5 and 2004/05 ODI season with one award each against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan. In the match against Pakistan in Kochi he scored 108 off 95 balls, his first century in eighteen months which set up a 95 run victory.

9. Storm in the one day format:

Sehwag’s scoring rate is extremely quick, at 103.44 runs per 100 balls (it is exceeded only by one current player: Shahid Afridi, who has a much lower average). He has had more success in run chases, scoring seven of his thirteen centuries while chasing.

10. Skipper’s cap:

Virender Sehwag was the first captain to lead India in its maiden T20 match. He has led India on 17 occasions and ended up on the winning side on 10 occasions, due to the unavailability of the incumbent due to illness, injury or rotation policy.

11. Dominating in ODI:

Virender Sehwag has played 251 ODI matches for India scoring 8273 runs along with 15 centuries and 38 half centuries with a highest score of 219. Interestingly, he was the skipper of the side while he scored the double century at Indore.

Also Read – Top 5 Batsmen with most first ball boundaries in ODIs

12. Dream debut in Test:

Virender Sehwag made his Test debut in late 2001 in the First Test against South Africa in Bloemfontein as a middle-order batsman. He scored 105 on debut despite the South African win.

13. Match winner:

During Sri Lanka’s tour of India in 2009, in the 3-match test series he finished with the highest run getter of the series with 491 runs. In the last test match, he made 293 with the help of which India won the test match. In this innings he established many records:

• Scoring the second fastest 200.
• Scoring the fastest 250 off just 207 balls.
• Third highest run scorer on a single day. (284 n.o)

14. Records to ponder:

• Virender Sehwag is the only batsman in the history to have scored 7,500-plus runs in both Tests & ODIs as an opener.
• Virender Sehwag holds the record of scoring the fastest Test triple century in terms of balls faced. He took 278 deliveries to reach the milestone.
• Virender Sehwag holds the record of scoring the fastest 250 in Tests in terms of balls faced. He took 207 deliveries to reach the milestone.
• Virender Sehwag has the 2nd & 3rd fastest Test double hundreds to his credit. In fact, 5 of the top 10 fastest Test double hundreds belong to him.
• Virender Sehwag has the 2nd fastest double century in ODIs to his credit. He took 140 deliveries to complete his double ton. The world record is being held by Chris Gayle, who completed his double ton in 138 deliveries.
• Virender Sehwag has the 3rd highest individual score in ODIs to his credit. The top two positions are being held by Rohit Sharma & Martin Guptill.
• Virender Sehwag has hit the 2nd highest number of fours ina Test innings. He achieved this feat against Pakistan in the 2006 Lahore Test, where he hit 47 fours in his innings. The world record is being held by John Edrich, who hit 52 fours in a Test innings.
• Virender Sehwag has hit the 2nd highest number of fours in an ODI innings. He achieved this feat against West Indies (at Indore, 2011) when he hit 25 fours in his ODI innings. Rohit Sharma is holding the record with 33 fours to his credit.
• Virender Sehwag holds the record of making the highest ever Test score in history at a strike rate of over 100. He achieved this feat against South Africa in the 2008 Chennai Test, where he scored 319 runs at a strike rate of 104.93.
• He holds the record for converting 11 successive Test hundreds into 150+ scores.
• Virender Sehwag is the 2nd fastest in the world to reach to 7000 Test runs – fastest being the, who took 3 innings lesser.
• Virender Sehwag is one of the four batsman in the Test history to score two triple centuries, alongside Don Bradman, Brian Lara and Chris Gayle.
• Virender Sehwag & Don Bradman are the only batsmen to make three Test scores of 290-plus.
• Virender Sehwag has made 2nd highest number of 250-plus Test scores- one lesser than Don Bradman.
• Virender Sehwag is the only cricketer in the Test history to hit two triple centuries & to take five wickets in a Test innings.
• Virender Sehwag holds the record of scoring the 3rd highest Test runs in a day. He achieved this feat against Sri Lanka in the 2009 Mumbai Test, where he scored 284 runs in a day. These are also the highest Test runs scored by any batsman in a day since 1933. The world record is being held by Don Bradman who scored 309 Test runs in a day.
• Virender Sehwag has the highest ever Test batting strike rate among all the cricketers who have scored 2,000-plus Test runs.
• Virender Sehwag has the 2nd highest ever ODI batting strike rate among all the cricketers – and highest among ODI openers – who have scored 2,000-plus ODI runs.
• Virender Sehwag is the only cricketer to be part of two consecutive double-century partnerships in a Test innings. He achieved this feat against South Africa in the 2008 Chennai Test, where he made partnerships of 213 runs (with Wasim Jaffer) and 268 runs (with Rahul Dravid) for the first two wickets. He repeated this feat against Sri Lanka in the 2009 Mumbai Test, where he made partnerships of 221 runs (with Murali Vijay) and 237 runs (with Rahul Dravid) for the first two wickets
• Virender Sehwag & Graham Gooch are the only batsmen to make more than 60% of the team’s runs while carrying bat through a completed Test innings.

15. National rewards:

• Virender Sehwag is the only Indian batsman to score a Test triple century.
• Virender Sehwag holds the record of scoring the fastest 150/200/250/300 in Tests among Indians.
• Virender Sehwag holds the record of scoring the fastest ODI double century among Indians.
• Virender Sehwag holds the record of scoring the fastest ODI fifty/century outside India by an Indian cricketer. He also has the 2nd fastest ODI fifty/century among Indians to his credit.
• Virender Sehwag holds the record for India’s top three highest individual Test scores.
• Virender Sehwag is the fastest among Indians to reach to 3000/4000/7000 Test runs.
• Virender Sehwag has made the highest number of international runs among Indian openers.
• Sehwag & Sachin Tendulkar jointly hold the record for scoring maximum Test double hundreds for India. Both of them have scored six double hundreds.
• Virender Sehwag holds the record for making maximum 250-plus scores in Tests among Indians. He has made four 250-plus Test scores.
• Virender Sehwag holds the record among Indians of scoring the most Test runs in a day.
• Virender Sehwag holds the record of hitting highest number of fours in a Test innings among Indians.
• Virender Sehwag is the only Indian to have twice scored 1400-plus Test runs in a calendar year. He achieved this feat when he scored 1462 Test runs in 2008 & 1422 Test runs in 2010.
• Virender Sehwag has the highest ever Test batting strike rate among all Indian cricketers who have scored 1,000-plus Test runs.
• Virender Sehwag has the highest ever ODI batting strike rate among all Indian cricketers who have scored 1,000-plus ODI runs.
• Virender Sehwag holds the record of hitting most sixes in Test career among Indian cricketers. He has hit a total of 91 sixes in Tests. The world record is being held by Adam Gilchrist, who has hit 100 sixes in Tests.
• Virender Sehwag holds the record among Indians of making the most runs from boundaries in a Test innings. He achieved this feat against Sri Lanka in the 2009 Mumbai Test when he scored 202 runs(out of his 293 runs) in fours & sixes. The world record is being held by John Edrich, who has made 238 runs in boundaries.
• Virender Sehwag & Sachin Tendulkar are the only Indian cricketers to have hit 1000-plus fours in both Tests & ODIs.
• Sehwag & Sachin Tendulkar have won the highest number of ‘Player of the Series’ awards in Tests among Indians. Both of them have won five ‘Player of the Series’ awards in Tests. Sehwag (Test Series: 39) won them after playing almost half number of Test Series than Sachin (Test Series: 74).
• Sehwag won 31 ‘Player of the Match’ awards in Tests & ODIs combined, which are 3rd highest among Indians- top two being Sachin (76) & Ganguly (37).
• Sehwag became the first Indian to be honored as the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World (in 2008), subsequently becoming the only player of any nationality to retain this prestigious award (in 2009).

16. Other prestigious awards:

• Arjuna Award (2002)
• Padma Shree (2010)