Virender Sehwag wishes umpire Kumar Dharmansena in unique fashion

Although a passive human being, Virender Sehwag has constantly been feared for his aggressive strokeplay on the cricket field. One of India’s most destructive openers has maintained the fun he has had while dismantling bowlers with the bat even on Twitter.

This man has formed a habit of poking fun at cricketers and celebrities who are a part of the large family that is Twitterati. Nevertheless, Sehwag’s tweets have always been in good spirit. Most recently, the Nawab of Najafgarh wished umpire Kumar Dharmasena in his own style.

Sehwag tweeted, “Happy Birthday to a legendary umpire , Handunnettige Deepthi Priyantha Kumar Dharmasena urf DRS #DharmasenaReviewSystem.”

The umpire being a Sri Lankan must deal with a series of names that precede his better-known name of ‘Kumar Dharmasena’. Sehwag did not miss his opportunity to send out a friendly reminder to the Lankan umpire about his official and long name, on the occasion of his 46th birthday.

Dharmasena first emerged at the international stage aged 22, not as an umpire, but as a cricketer himself. He delivered quick and accurate off spinners with a slightly unorthodox action. An ideal one-day bowler especially in Sri Lankan conditions, Dharmasena soon became a regular face in the Lankans ODI team.

Nevertheless, the ICC questioned his action in the 1998 Oval Test, following which he made sporadic appearances in the longest format of the game.

The Sri Lankan called it quits from competitive cricket to pursue a career in umpiring. He made his debut as an umpire in 2009 and currently finds himself in the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires.

Sehwag’s humorous jab at Dharmasena being called DRS takes us back to the 2016-17 Test series between England and Bangladesh. In the first Test at Chittagong, Dharmasena raised the finger for Moeen Ali on three occasions. This not only happened in the same Test but also in the same innings and furthermore off the same bowler, Shakib Al Hasan.

As it turned out, Moeen called for a review against all three of Dharmasena’s decisions and survived. This was the first time in cricketing history, that a batsman successfully managed to overturn the umpire’s decisions on three consecutive occasions in the same innings.