Oh, how I will miss him. Cricket without characters like Virender Sehwag gets boring after a while. While many cricketers resort to sledging to get under their opponent’s skin, Sehwag only needed his powerful shots and aggression.
And we enjoyed it. Watching cricket was truly a joyful experience when he batted, even though sometimes, it lasted only a few minutes. But in those few minutes, he unleashed hell.
We need more of this raw aggression. It balances out the timidity and level-headedness of the more-controlled players. We need a wrecker like Sehwag in the Indian cricket team once more!
1. Because he destroyed bowlers’ morale in the first over itself
In conventional games, a conventional batsman takes his time to adjust to the pitch, the bowlers and get into the “form”.
Sehwag didn’t need any of this grace time. He got straight to business. This was very visible if you remember the match where he scored a six off the first ball itself.
2. Because he didn’t really care for the match situation
Usually when the team is in a bad spot, players play cautiously, because the objective is to get out of the rut and get to a safe place.
Sehwag didn’t give two damns. He always knew offense is the best defense and went for it, even if India was in a grave spot. He instilled confidence when people saw no silver lining.
3. Because he made the game more attractive
Who doesn’t want to see the ball crossing the boundary line frequently? Singles and doubles are boring! Whenever Sehwag started to hit sixes and fours, we always wanted more of it. He did this may times, and sometimes he didn’t. But the times he did do it, he made the game memorable and attractive.
4. Because everyone gathered to see him play
Watching Sachin play is a joy. So is watching Laxman or Dravid play. The technique, the footwork, and the finesse – too good. But everyone gathered around the TV set to watch Sehwag play because they knew something spicy is going to happen in the next 10 minutes.
People knew the ball is going to fly all around the park – across the boundary line.
5. Because he capitalized early game like no one else
In cricket, a good start can mean everything. It raises the morale of the batsmen who will come next, and also lay a good foundation for a better total. Sehwag was the master of the early game, his equal contemporaries being Jayasuriya and Gilchrist.
Even though he didn’t get the centuries in some of the matches, his knocks were significant and hugely important for the confidence of the team itself.
6. Despite being aggressive, he was a boss in test cricket too
Due to his style of play, people always pegged him to be a limited overs specialist. Then he proved everyone wrong and went on to score the highest test score by an Indian batsman.
7. Because of his sheer unpredictability
You know what? I find Tendulkar and Dravid boring. Because they do the same thing all the time. I knew they were geniuses, but even a genius shot from them was so repeated it got boring at a point.
Sehwag did not disappoint in this aspect. He always did something maverick, something gutsy. He always kept me hooked.
8. Because he was truly fearless
Let’s say you are on a roll and you reach a score of 295. You obviously want to play cautiously because you want to score the impossible – a triple century. Sehwag didn’t give two damns about the triple century. He wanted to hit the ball over the boundary, and that’s it. He reached the triple century with a six.
You need some really big balls to pull off something like that.
9. India is going to miss a cricketer like him
Today, Sehwag announced his retirement from cricket. He was one-of-a-kind and India is going to have to wait for too long before we find another batsman of the same caliber again. He made the game attractive for the people. We hope he contributes to cricket in his own special way.
Godspeed.
We shall miss you Viru!