Virender Sehwag - Best Indian Cricketer ever?

Ranked #369 in Sports, #10,727 overall

Who is Virender Sehwag?

Virender Sehwag, affectionately known as Viru, is one of the most explosive cricketers the world has ever seen. He represents the Indian National Cricket team and is an opening batsmen in all forms of cricket.

His raw talent and audacity has seen him shatter numerous records and
climb dizzy heights in World Cricket. Today he is arguably the most
feared batsmen in World Cricket. He's a nightmare for opposition
bowlers and captains.

He hails from a middle class family in a modest locality in Delhi, known as Najafgarh, and hence the title Nawab of Najafgarh. He has defied the coaching manual and had the puritans of Cricket, running for cover.

He's the beginning of a new revolution that defies all conventional
wisdom. Relying on his own talent, skills and hardwork he has carved
his own path. He's a true son of the soil and a shining star ofIndian Cricket.

What's on the menu

Cricket - Sport or Religion?
Why a lens on Virender Sehwag?
Nawab of Najafgarh
Sehwag plays for the country and Sachin for the records
Sehwag or Sachin
Conclusion
Sachin fans can look for some solace here ...
Check out my Cricket Blog
Stumbled Upon
Viru in the News
More stories on Viru
Sehwag's tale ...
Own a Viru Memorabilia
Indian Cricket items on eBay
Cricket related products on Amazon
Some Great Cricket Arwork
Ain't No Fear ...
Viru in Overdrive ...
Vote on your favorite Sehwag knock
The Delhi Dasher ...
Interesting Quotes on Viru and Sachin
Favorite Indian Cricketer
Viru's Career Highlights, Achievements and Records
Viru's Test Career Graph
Want to know more about Virender Sehwag?
Viru's Official Website
Become Viru's Friend
Follow Viru
Love This Lens?
Got an opinion on Cricket?
I want to read even more about Viru ...

Cricket - Sport or Religion?

If Cricket is a Religion, then I'm a Priest

- Brain Washer

Why a lens on Virender Sehwag?

In my opinion, Sehwag is one of the
most under-rated Cricketers in the world and more so in India. Some of
his achievements can even dwarf those from the likes of Sachin Tendulkar. For the past decade and a half, the world and Indian cricket scene has been dominated by names like Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, M S Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and others. To me, the only name worthy of comparison to Sehwag is that of Sachin Tendulkar. Others don't even come close (sorry all Ganguly and Dravid fans).

The purpose of this lens is not to be another 'Wiki' on Virender Sehwag or to be another 'Player Profile' (I have links to such website below).

With this lens, my purpose is to help Sehwag get his rightful place among the best of the very best in World Cricket.

Nawab of Najafgarh

Sehwag plays for the country and Sachin for the records

Statistics are like bikinis. They show everything but the real thing.

- Navjot Singh Sidhu

Sehwag or Sachin

Who is better?

Ever since Sehwag's entry into International Cricket, he has been compared to Sachin Tendulkar.
As Sehwag continued to shine in world Cricket, the debate kept getting
hotter and hotter. Sehwag has himself said several times that he
considers Sachin his role model. Then how can a disciple be better than
his 'Guru'?

People say that it is unfair to compare these two as both are legends
in their own rights. However, it is human nature to compare things and
put them in perspective.

Every cricket fan has an 'opinion' on the game and I'm no different.

Obviously, no one can dispute that Sachin is among the best cricketers
world has ever produced. No one in world Cricket has come close to
Sachin's record and probably no one would ever do so. I'm a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar and his contribution to Indian Cricket has been immense. However, I'm a bigger fan of Virender Sehwag. Viru may not have tens of thousands of runs against his name, but are statistics everything?

As Navjot Singh Sidhu said, "Statistics are like bikinis. They show everything but the real thing."

The web is flooded with information and stories about how Sachin is the best batsman in the world and the God of Cricket, I disagree with such claims. He is undoubtedly among the best but not 'the best'.

I'm from the Sehwag camp (which you've probably guessed from the title of this lens).

How Sehwag is better than Sachin?

1. Sehwag is a big match player, Sachin is a choker.
Sachin's record in big games is the biggest blot on his otherwise
awesome-looking record. This is a fact, which even his biggest
proponents cannot deny.

In Sachin's entire career of 157 matches and 256 innings, there are
only 2 times when he scored a 50 or more in the 4th innings and won the
match for India.

103 v Eng in Chennai 2008 <- this innings came when Sehwag had scored an explosive 83 and already put England on the back foot.

56 v Pak in Delhi 2007

I think this is one of the biggest evidence that the "so-called" GOD of Cricket chokes in high-pressure situations.

2. Sehwag plays for the country and Sachin for the records. Sehwag
approaches all milestones with an unprecedented audacity. He never
let's his personal milestones come in the way of country's interest.
And this approach helps him keep his mind clear of negative thoughts
and results in success more often than not.

Who can forget the breathtaking moment when he reached the first triple hundred ever by an Indian,
against Pakistan in Multan, with a Six ! Even during his most recent
hundred in the 4th one-dayer against New Zealand, in Hamilton, on
11-Mar-2009, he reached his hundred with a six off Vettori.

In case of Sachin, we all know what he does when he's approaching a
milestone. Though he has scored 85 hundreds so far (20-Mar-2009), he
has his share of nervous nineties. In 2007, the problem became so
severe that his own son Arjun offered him this advice:

"Why don't you just hit a six when you are on 94".

Read this article for the full story:

A new Tendulkar, a new problem

If you are thinking too much of your own milestones, country's interest is bound to suffer.

3. Sehwag has always been considered a basher. But he has a stand-out
record in test cricket, so much so that he has outshined Sachin in many
aspects.

Sehwag is also known to be a big hundred scorer. In 66 tests that Sehwag has played, Sehwag has scored 2 triple centuries and 3 double centuries. Notably, no other Indian
Cricketer has ever scored a triple hundred. His last 11 hundreds have
all been scores above 150. And on top of this, his test batting strike
rate is an astronomical 78 !

In 156 tests that Sachin has played, he has got only 9 scores of
150-plus out of his 41 centuries. His test batting strike rate is a
modest 54.

4. It's not obvious from statistics that India has won so many games
where Sehwag has given an explosive start to India but other like
Sachin, Yuvraj and Dhoni have walked away with Man-of-the-match awards.
A recent example is the 1st one-dayer against New Zealand on
03-Mar-2009, where Sehwag scored 77 in 56 balls, and Mr. Dhoni walked
away with the Man of the Match award.

5. Sehwag has a better track record than Sachin against India's
arch-rival Pakistan. In 9 tests against Pakistan, Sehwag has scored
1276 runs against Pakistan at an average of 91, whereas Sachin in his
10 matches, has scored only 483, at an average of 40. Sehwag has 4 test
hundreds against Pakistan, whereas Sachin has only 1.

6. When Sachin clicks, India wins. But, when Sehwag clicks, India kills.

Having said all this, we still cannot overlook Sachin's achievements.
He is the highest run-getter in the history of Cricket, with more than
30,000 runs under his belt. He has scored more centuries than anybody
else. He has played and won more games for India than any otherIndian Cricketer. He has been playing International Cricket for a phenomenal 20 years and showed remarkable consistency.

Sehwag is certainly the better of the two at the moment, but has he dethroned Sachin Tendulkar to become the numero uno of Indian
Cricket? Not yet. Sehwag is certainly on the right path and if he
maintains his form and fitness for another 5 years, he may become the
new GOD ofIndian Cricket.

Conclusion

Sehwag is undoubtedly the best in the business right now.

But, has he overshadowed Sachin's 20 years of exceptional achievements?

Answer:

NOT Yet.

Sachin fans can look for some solace here ...

Sachin Tendulkar - Cricket Records,Photos,Wallpapers

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, A batting Genius, Wonderful Cricketer. I have collected information's about his cricket records, personal data, family details,Photos,Wallpapers etc and presenting them here. I am a big fan of this little master. I am happy t...

Check out my Cricket Blog

http://twenty20champion.blogspot.com/

Cricket to be part of 2010 Asian Games: Brain Washer read this article on Cricinfo website and thought you should read it. Cricket to be par...
Cricket to be part of 2010 Asian Games: Sent to you by Harwinder via Google Reader: Cricket to be part of 2010 A...
The best collection of Sidhuisms on the web: Image Source: Picasa If you are a fan of Sidhu or his Sidhuisms, check out this page: Sidhuism It ha...
Pakistan offers India to host IPL events: This is the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. NEW Delhi?Pakistan government and Pakistan cri...
Online Duckworth-Lewis Calculator: Take your cricket love one notch further with cool online Duckworth-Lewis Calculators: Official Duck...

Stumbled Upon

Who's talking about Viru?

Why Sehwag is the best batsman in the world today: TOI Blog
Tendulkar a legend, Sehwag will be one soon: Cricknext
Is Sehwag now the world's best batsman?: Times of India
Cricinfo Award-winning knock Sehwag's 'best-ever': CricInfo
An encounter with Virender Sehwag's family: Rediff
I see shades of myself in Sehwag: Tendulkar: Rediff Cricket

Viru in the News

Carefree Sehwag unconcerned by missed ton: Sehwag had shown remarkable patience and application in giving India a superb start, but threw it aw...
Our shot-selection wasn't good - Sehwag: Virender Sehwag, as economical with words as with his technique, is not looking for any excuses afte...
Sehwag's wicket is the key - Herath: Rangana Herath, who hit a career best 80 not out in Sri Lanka's first-innings score of 520-8 declare...
Sehwag ruled out of Asia Cup: India have suffered an injury scare with opener Virender Sehwag pulling his hamstring during his tea...
Rivals evenly matched in marquee clash: Talks of the viability of the ODI game can take backseat for a while - when India faces Pakistan, it...

Sehwag's tale ...

In 2007, Sehwag was dropped from the Indian one-day and test squad

Do you think it was a blessing in disguise for him?

Yes; It gave him an opportunity for introspection and helped him become a better player

suraj parkash says:

ONE DAY INTERNATIONALS

M/I NO RUNS HS Ave 100/50 SRate

Sachin 442/431 41 17598 200 45.12 46/93 86.26

Sehwag 221/215 8 7091 146 34.26 12/35 103.52

Strike Rate: Sehwag (103.52) Sachin (86.26): In today's cricket, who
will give his vote to sachin for his poor strike rate against sehwag?
One can easily assume the nos. of runs one India will have on board
after finishing its inning if everybody bats with strike rate matching
with the master.

Sachin is Selfish: Everybody must be remembering the centuries that
sachin has scored facing more deliveries than he scored. Even when he
batted at no. 4, there are many instances that he took more than 30
deliveries from 80 to 100 and that also in slog overs. In comparison,
Sehwag even didn't take single to complete his DOUBLE CENTURY against
Sri Lanka in 2008 Aug. How can one compare Sachin with Sehwag? Sehwag
is a legend born.

Average: Sachin has an average of 45 whereas Sehwag has 34.26. But if u
directly divide nos. of runs by matches the story will not be same as
it appears (i.e Sachin's 17598/431 = 40.83 and Sehwag's
7091/215=32.98). There is just a difference of 7.85 runs which is much
less than what marked in record books(i.e 45.12-34.26=10.86) What a
batsman gains for his team if deliberately he returns NOTOUT to
dressing room. NOTHING, but he maintains good amount of average for
himself(for records purpose only).

Nos. of century scored: Sachin's 46 centuries in442 matches are a great
achievement. How many match has India won in these centuries. The
answer is 33. Sehwag has scored 12 centuries. India has won 11 matches
in these centuries. At certain point, sachin had concentrated on making
his hundreds. Isn't that true.(For e.g:141 n.o against west Indies with
just a strike of 95.7 on 14 Sep 06. How more balls does that Sachin
needed to be in awesome form)and 101 at a low strike rate of 72.14 at
Sharjah on 20 oct2000.

Performance against poor countries:

Against Match/Inn N.O Runs Avg Best S/R 50's/100's

Bangladesh 10/9 1 354 44.25 82 * 86.98 2/0

Bermuda 1/1 1 57 57.00 57 * 196.55 1/0

Kenya 10/9 3 647 107.83 146 97.00 1/4

Namibia 1/1 0 152 152.00 152 100.66 0/1

Zimbabwe 34/33 5 1377 49.18 146 91.56 5/5

I hope India should get more chances to play against these countries so
that our MASTER could improve his records to more heights.

Does these 10 centuries have empowered India with any remarkable
success? Sehwag, in contradiction has scored only single century
against Bermuda.(07 world cup). Also sachin bats with great Strike rate
against weak countries. You may compare the above strike rate with of
his average Strike rate (i.e 86.26). Also note, against Namibia, he
scored 152 off 151 balls. What does it was? How cleverly has Sachin
managed to keep all his records favourite to everybody?

Sachin wants to open again: Sachin told that he wants to open when he
was asked by Ganguly to play at No. 4 after some matches.(2002-03) Why?
Because he was not getting chances to score hundreds. India was doing
favourably better when Sehwag and Ganguly were opening with Sachin
batting at No.4.

TEST CRICKET

Matches Innings Runs NO H.S/Avg. SR 100's 50's 200's/300'

Sachin 166 271 13447 29 248/55.57 54.22 47 54 04/nil

Sehwag 76 130 6691 5 319/53.53 80.87 19 21 06/02

I hardly believe any intellectual person will compare the two as far as
tests are concerned. Also please pay attention the doubles/ triples
scored by them:

Sachin Vs Sehwag Vs

248* Bangladesh 319 South Africa

201* Zimbabwe 309 Pakistan

241* Australia 293 Sri Lanka

217* New Zealand 254 Pakistan

201* Sri Lanka

201 Pakistan

Dear Sachin, kindly please forgive the weak countries.

I hope India should get more chances to play against these countries so
that our MASTER could improve his records to more heights

Average: Dear friends again divide runs by innings (Sachin :
13447/271=49.61) and (Sehwag 6691/130=51.46). Has anybody put such
records in front of you to assess the correct thing? Sachin always
tends to come back Not out so that his average might not get disturbed.
Even against Australia when he scored 241*, there was a great need to
accelerate score with some hits, but our master managed only to return
Not Out scoring only 150 runs in the entire day. Also 201* by Sehwag
against Sri Lanka was a not out inning as no other batsman was there to
support and he was the lonely fighter in that inning.

SACHIN BATS LIKE ME: DON BRADMAN The great Sir Don Bradman came to know
that Sachin bats like him only in 1998 when Sachin scored 9 centuries
in single calendar year. Dear Don, were you sleeping earlier. Can't we
say that it was a purely publicity stunt. If Sachin bats like Don, then
like who does Sehwag bats? Don Bradman scored 309 and Sehwag284 (in
just 75 overs)in a single day. Can anybody tell me the nos. of runs had
Sachin scored in a single day? If there is anybody nearer to Don, who
he is? Sachin or Sehwag.

150+SCORES IN TESTS: Sehwag holds the world record with 11 consecutive
scores of 150 runs. Sachin has not got these scores despite playing
double the tests of Sehwag.

300+SCORES: Sachin put this record under your belt, u may do it against
any of countries like Zimbabwe or Bangladesh. Here is a point that your
fans feel ashamed. Sehwag has scored 2 and nearly the third one.

Strike Rate: Sehwag has unbelievable strike rate in tests. Sometimes it
is more faster than T-20s. What about Sachin. Is this the way India can
win so many tests? If Australians would have batted with such poor
strike rate, the would not have able to win even 5 tests in row(they
had won 16 in a row twice).

Greatest Innings: Sachin has scored 8 centuries against the most
disastrous attack (i.e 5 against Bangladesh and 3 against Zimbabwe).
Sehwag has not yet achieved this feat. Congrats Sachin for this
unachievable feat.

Fastest 300: Can any Batsman think of breaking it.

Batting as an opener in Tests: Has Sachin ever forced to play as an
opener in Tests (as he emphasized in ODIs 2002-03). My dear, the ball
is new and not easy to play. Great mentality and thinking.

Draw[36]

Lost[42]