Virender Sehwag

Born October 20, 1978, Delhi is an Indian cricketer (batsman) and member of the Indian national cricket team since 1998 (one-dayers) and 2001 (Tests)

In ODI cricket, he is known for his aggressive, dazzling batting style, and does not hesitate to play unorthodox shots. He is at his element in the first 15 overs of the one-day game, dispatching the ball to the fence with ease and panache. It has been noted that his technique is very similar to Sachin Tendulkar, with whom he forms a most dangerous and equally entertaining opening pair. Sehwag is also a useful spin bowler.

Virender Sehwag is a primal talent whose rough edges make him all the more appealing. By the time he had scored his first centuries in one-day cricket (off 70 balls, against New Zealand) and Test cricket (on debut, against South Africa, from 68 for 4), he was already eliciting comparisons with his idol Sachin Tendulkar. It is half true. Like Tendulkar, he is short and square with curly hair, plays the straight drive, backfoot punch and whip off the hips identically, but leaves Tendulkar in the shade when it comes to audacity.

Asked to open the innings in Tests on the tour of England in 2002, Sehwag proved an instant hit, cracking an 80 and a 100 in the first two matches. Regularly thereafter, he kept conjuring pivotal innings at the top of the order, none as significant as India’s first 300 (which he bought up, characteristically, with a six), at Multan against Pakistan in early 2004.

Sehwag bowls effective, loopy offspin, and is a reliable catcher in the slips. He also once almost split the cricket world: when he was banned for a match by the ICC referee Mike Denness on grounds of excessive appealing, the Indian board wasn't prepared to listen, and even played an unofficial Test with South Africa to prove a point. When a compromise was finally reached, Sehwag was back to his merry ways.

Sehwag has adapted to both the forms of the game. In the longer version of the game, he plays to ensure that he does not lose his wicket quickly although he scores at a rapid rate. On March 29, 2004 he became the first ever Indian batsman to score 300 runs in a Test innings, playing against Pakistan at Multan. He scored a total 309 runs in that innings. He later auctioned the bat with which he made the record, for Rs. 70,000, to aid in relief efforts for the tsunami victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

Sehwag married Arti Alhawat in April, 2004 under heavy security in a media publicized wedding. Sehwag is fondly referred to in the media as the Prince of Najafgarh, Najafgarh being his home locality in Delhi