NEW DELHI: Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag, known for his aggressive batting style, saw opportunities where others saw risks. Sehwag aimed to score runs quickly throughout his career.
Sehwag’s record includes three triple centuries in Test cricket and becoming the second Indian, after Sachin Tendulkar, to score 200 runs in a One Day International (ODI). He set a record with 219 runs in an
ODI
, which stood for nearly three years until Rohit Sharma surpassed it with 264 runs.
In the 2011 ODI World Cup, Sehwag set the tone for India’s campaign with an impressive 175 runs in the first match. However, he did not start as an opening batsman. Sehwag began his Test career under Sourav Ganguly‘s captaincy in 2001, debuting against
South Africa
in Bloemfontein, where he batted at the fourth position and scored a century.
The decision to promote Sehwag to the opening position came later. At an Ocean Blue Academy event, Ganguly revealed the conversation that promoted him to be the opening batter.
Sehwag’s journey from a middle-order batsman to a prolific opener showcases the strategic decisions that shaped his illustrious career.
Ganguly said, “I was fortunate enough to captain a player like Virender Sehwag, a young boy who came from Delhi with absolute raw talent. A week before the start of the first Test, I went up to him and said, ‘Viru, you’re such a fantastic player, but you’re not getting a game because we had Dravid at three, Tendulkar at four, myself at five, and Laxman at six.'”
Ganguly continued, “I said, ‘You know, someone like you cannot just be sitting on the benches, so why don’t you open?’ I could see it on his face—he couldn’t say no to me. His immediate response was, ‘Dada, I have never done this.’ I said, ‘So what if you’ve never done this?’ I knew his next question would be, ‘What happens if I get out early with the new ball?'”
Can you write it down on a piece of paper.#virendrasehwag #souravganguly #indiancricketer #cricket
“I said, ‘You know, it doesn’t matter if you fail because you’re doing something for the team. You’re doing something out of your usual position, something you’ve never done before. So even if you don’t score runs as an opener, we will find an opportunity for you to bat down the order.'” Ganguly added.
“At the end of the conversation, he said, ‘Can you write that on a piece of paper for me?'” Ganguly concluded.
