Sehwag aka Veeru played his 100th test match today. However, he was bowled out by Monty Panesar after scoring 30 but he still has 2nd innings to make amends. Sehwag has truly lit up test cricket with his swashbuckling performances. Sehwag made his Test debut against South Africa in 2001, two years after his ODI debut in 1999. He scored a century in his debut match.
Sehwag who is widely considered a One Day specialist has turned out to be a phenomenal success in tests, taking teams by surprise and turning around matches in no time. He enjoys a phenomenal test record. Not including the ongoing match against England, he has played 99 tests so far scoring 8448 runs at an average of close to 51. He has amassed 23 centuries in the process.
Sehwag is the only Indian to have scored a triple century and that also not once but he has scored it two times! He scored his first triple hundred against Pakistan in 2004. His second triple ton against SA in 2009 of 278 balls is the fastest in the world. Here are highlights of his first triple ton against arch-rivals Pakistan.
Sehwag is the only player in the world who has scored 2 triple tons and taken a 5 wicket hall.
A quick analysis of Sehwag’s test career shows some interesting insights:
Out of his 99 tests, he has played 47 tests in India and his average is a staggering 57.92; the following graph captures his performances:
Now, what does the graph show
X-axis on the graph represents the number of innings and Y-axis shows the runs scored.
The graph clearly identifies two patterns in his scores:
1) He is not scoring very high scores recently, the peaks are not that high lately.
2) He has become consistent over time, there are no low peaks in the last 10-15 innings. He is scoring at an average of around 50 in the recent home matches.
His performances in home conditions show that he has become more credible over the recent times, which is definitely a good sign for Indian cricket.
Let us have a look at his performances in test matches played on foreign soil.
Sehwag has played 52 tests overseas at an average of 44.65. He has been having a tough time lately and not been able to score consistently. It can be made out from the graph that his scores are dipping lately. However, Sehwag must be able to rectify the situation soon enough 🙂
He is a born entertainer and hope he continues to captivate us with his skills for a long time.
Leaving you with some memorable statements related to Veeru.
“Our bank balance” was the reply by Sehwag when asked for 343867th time what was the difference between him and Sachin Tendulkar.
“In the dressing room they told me I was hitting the good balls too, but if you look at it my way, I hit only the bad ones.” On his 284 not out in less than a day. Virender Sehwag, Brabourne Stadium, 2009-10.
“No, there is no danger. We are the most dangerous batsmen in the world.”
To security people in Durban who insisted he and Gautam Gambhir not walk out on their own late in the evening
“The best way to know how Virender Sehwag’s mind works is to sit next to him in the players’ balcony when India are batting. Every few minutes he will clutch his head and yell, “Chauka gaya” or “Chhakka gaya“. That’s his way of expressing disappointment at somebody’s failure to take advantage of a ball that he thought deserved to be hit for four or six. That’s how he thinks, in fours and sixes.”
Sourav Ganguly, in a Wisden Asia Cricket piece
Happy cricketing!
Cheers,
Veeru fans at CricBol