Virender Sehwag Biography: Virender Sehwag is one of the most explosive and entertaining batsmen in the history of cricket. Image Credit goes to Instagram. He is widely regarded as the best opener India has ever produced and one of the greatest players of his era. He holds several records in both Test and ODI cricket, including the highest individual score by an Indian in Tests (319) and ODIs (219). He is also one of the few batsmen to have scored two triple centuries in Tests and a double century in ODIs. He was honored as the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 2008 and 2009 and was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2023.
Virender Sehwag Biography
| Birth | October, 1978 (Najafgarh, Delhi) |
| Age | 45 years( as per 2023) |
| Full Name | Virender Sehwag |
| Father | Krishan Sehwag |
| Mother | Krishna Sehwag |
| Nickname | Viru, Nawab of Najafgarh, Sultan of Multan |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | School: Arora Vidya School in Najafgarh, Delhi)
College: Jamia Millia Islamia University for graduation |
| Height | 5’ 7” |
| Profession | Opener Batsman |
| Batting style | Right-handed batter |
| Bowling style | Right-arm offbreak bowler |
| Wife | Aarti Ahlawat |
| Son | Aryavir Sehwag
Vedant Sehwag |
| Siblings | Manju (Elder-sister)
Anju (Elder-sister) Vinod(Younger-Brother) |
Virender Sehwag Biography: Birth and Family
Virender Sehwag was born in Delhi, India on October 20, 1978. He belongs to a Jat family from Najafgarh, a town on the outskirts of Delhi. His father, Krishan Sehwag, was a grain merchant and his mother, Krishna Sehwag, was a homemaker. He has three siblings: two elder sisters, Anju and Manju, and a younger brother, Vinod. Sehwag grew up in a joint family with his grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. He was fondly called Viru by his family and friends.
Virender Sehwag Biography, Sehwag was interested in cricket from a young age and used to play with his friends in the streets and fields of Najafgarh. He idolized Sachin Tendulkar and wanted to emulate his batting style. He also admired the West Indian legend Vivian Richards, who was known for his aggressive and fearless approach to batting. Sehwag later said that Richards was his inspiration and that he learned a lot from watching his videos.
Virender Sehwag Biography: Education
Sehwag completed his schooling at Arora Vidya School in Najafgarh, where he excelled in both academics and sports. He scored 82% in his 10th standard board exams and 78% in his 12th standard board exams. He also represented his school in various cricket tournaments and won many awards and trophies. He was selected for the Delhi Under-15 cricket team when he was 11 years old and scored a century on his debut.
Sehwag enrolled in Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi for his graduation, where he pursued a Bachelor of Commerce degree. He also joined the university’s cricket team and became its captain. He led the team to many victories and scored heavily in the inter-university tournaments. He also played for the Delhi Under-19 and Under-22 teams and impressed the selectors with his consistent performances.
Virender Sehwag Biography: Cricket Career
Virender Sehwag is a former Indian cricketer representing India from 1999 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the most destructive and entertaining batsmen in the history of cricket, and one of the greatest players of his era. He holds several records in both Test and ODI cricket, including the highest individual score by an Indian in Tests (319) and ODIs (219). He is also one of the few batsmen to have scored two triple centuries in Tests and a double century in ODIs.
Domestic Debut
Virender Sehwag Biography, Sehwag started playing for the Delhi cricket team in the 1997-98 season. He was also part of the Duleep Trophy. He scored 274 in a match and impressed everyone. Later he was a part of the U-19 team which toured South Africa. His performance throughout his first-class career was superb, and he became a favorite of all selectors.
International Debut
Virender Sehwag Biography, Sehwag made his international debut for India in a one-day match against Pakistan in Mohali on April 1, 1999. He scored 19 runs off 14 balls and took a wicket with his off-spin bowling. He played a few more matches in the 1999 World Cup but did not get many opportunities to bat. He was dropped from the team after the tournament and had to wait for two years to make his comeback.
Sehwag made his Test debut for India against South Africa in Bloemfontein on November 3, 2001. He opened the innings with his idol Sachin Tendulkar and scored a brilliant 105 runs off 173 balls, becoming the 11th Indian to score a century on Test debut. He also shared a 220-run partnership with Tendulkar, which was the highest for any wicket in India’s Test history at that time. He followed it up with another century in the second Test in Port Elizabeth, becoming the third Indian to score centuries in his first two Tests.
Test Career
Virender Sehwag Biography, Sehwag established himself as a regular member of the Indian Test team and soon became one of the most feared batsmen in the world. He played many memorable innings for India, such as his 195 against Australia in Melbourne in 2003, his 309 against Pakistan in Multan in 2004, his 254 against Pakistan in Lahore in 2006, his 319 against South Africa in Chennai in 2008, his 201 not out against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2008, his 293 against Sri Lanka in Mumbai in 2009, and his 117 against England in Ahmedabad in 2012.
Virender Sehwag Biography, Sehwag was also a part of the Indian team that achieved many historic feats in Test cricket, such as winning a series in Pakistan for the first time in 2004, drawing a series in Australia in 2003-04, winning a series in England in 2007, winning a series in New Zealand in 2009, becoming the number one ranked Test team in 2009, and winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2008 and 2010.
Sehwag holds multiple records in Test cricket, such as:
- The highest individual score by an Indian in Tests (319)
- The fastest triple century in the history of international cricket (reached 300 off only 278 balls)
- The fastest 250 by any batsman (in 207 balls)
- One of the four batsmen in the world to have ever surpassed 300 twice in Test cricket
- The only player in the world to have scored a triple century and a century in the same Test match twice
- The highest strike rate in Test matches among batsmen with 2000 or more Test runs (82.23)
- The most runs scored in a single day of a Test match by a batsman (284)
- The most number of Test matches in a row in which a batsman scored a century (11)
- The most number of double centuries by an Indian in Tests (6)
- The most number of Test centuries by an Indian opener (22)
- The most number of runs scored by an Indian in a four-match Test series (544)
- The most number of boundaries hit by a batsman in a Test innings (52)
- The most number of sixes hit by a batsman in a Test innings (12).
Virender Sehwag Biography, Sehwag played his last Test match for India against Australia in Hyderabad on March 2, 2013. He scored 6 and 19 runs in the two innings and India won the match by an innings and 135 runs. He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on October 20, 2015, his 37th birthday. He played 104 Tests for India, scoring 8586 runs at an average of 49.34 with 23 centuries and 32 half-centuries. He also took 40 wickets with his off-spin bowling, with a best of 5 for 104.
ODI Career
Sehwag was also a prolific batsman in the shorter format of the game. He played many explosive innings for India in ODIs, such as his 126 against New Zealand in Colombo in 2001, his 108 against Sri Lanka in Bristol in 2002, his 130 against New Zealand in Hyderabad in 2003, his 114 against Pakistan in Kochi in 2005, his 126 against England in Rajkot in 2008, his 175 against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2011, and his 219 against West Indies in Indore in 2011.
Virender Sehwag Biography, Sehwag was also a part of the Indian team that won many prestigious tournaments in ODIs, such as the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy (joint winners with Sri Lanka), the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. During the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, Sehwag was the highest run scorer with 271 runs. During the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, Sehwag scored 380 runs in nine matches, including two centuries and a half-century. He scored the fastest fifty in a World Cup match, off 26 balls, against Bermuda in 2007.
Sehwag holds multiple records in ODI cricket, such as:
- The highest individual score by an Indian in ODIs (219)
- The second-highest individual score in ODIs (after Rohit Sharma’s 264)
- The only Indian to score a double century in ODIs
- One of the two players in the world to score a double hundred in ODI and a triple hundred in Test Cricket (the other being Chris Gayle)
- The fastest ODI century by an Indian (off 60 balls)
- The most number of runs scored by an Indian in a bilateral ODI series (464)
- The most number of boundaries hit by a batsman in an ODI innings (47)
- The most number of sixes hit by a batsman in an ODI innings (15)
- The most number of runs scored by a batsman in an ODI over (25)
- The most number of ODI centuries by an Indian opener (15)
- The most number of ODI centuries in a calendar year by an Indian (6 in 2008).
Sehwag played his last ODI match for India against Pakistan in Kolkata on January 3, 2013. He scored 31 runs off 43 balls and India lost the match by 85 runs. He played 251 ODIs for India, scoring 8273 runs at an average of 35.06 with 15 centuries and 38 half-centuries. He also took 96 wickets with his off-spin bowling, with a best of 4 for 6.
T20 Career
Sehwag was not as successful in the shortest format of the game as he was in the other two formats. He played only 19 T20Is for India, scoring 394 runs at an average of 21.89 with two half-centuries. His highest score was 68 off 52 balls against England in Durban in 2007. He was a part of the Indian team that won the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007, but he missed the final due to an injury. He also played in the 2009 and 2012 editions of the tournament but did not perform well.
IPL Career
Debut with Delhi Daredevils
Sehwag started his IPL journey with his home team Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in the inaugural edition of the league in 2008. He was the “Icon player” for the team and was made the skipper of the side. He led the team with his aggressive and flamboyant batting style, scoring 406 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 184.54. He also hit the fastest fifty in the IPL, off 21 balls, against Deccan Chargers in Hyderabad. He guided the team to the semi-finals, where they lost to Rajasthan Royals, the eventual champions.
Sehwag continued to captain the team in the second edition of the IPL in 2009, which was held in South Africa due to security reasons. He scored 198 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 143.47. He also took 6 wickets with his off-spin bowling, with a best of 3 for 14 against Mumbai Indians in East London. However, the team failed to qualify for the knockouts, finishing fifth in the points table.
In the third edition of the IPL in 2010, Sehwag decided to focus more on his batting and handed over the captaincy to Gautam Gambhir, his opening partner in the Indian team. He scored 356 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 163.27. He also hit the second-fastest fifty in the IPL, off 24 balls, against Deccan Chargers in Delhi. He helped the team reach the semi-finals again, where they lost to Chennai Super Kings, the eventual champions.
In the fourth edition of the IPL in 2011, Sehwag was once again the captain of the team, as Gambhir had moved to Kolkata Knight Riders. He scored 424 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 176.75. He also hit five consecutive half-centuries, a record in the IPL, against Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Deccan Chargers, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, and Chennai Super Kings. He became the first player to win five consecutive Man of the Match awards in the IPL. He led the team to the top of the points table, but they lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the second qualifier.
In the fifth edition of the IPL in 2012, Sehwag retained the captaincy of the team and scored 495 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 161.23. He also hit the highest individual score by a captain in the IPL, 87 off 48 balls, against Mumbai Indians in Delhi. He took the team to the playoffs for the third time, but they lost to Chennai Super Kings in the second qualifier again.
In the sixth edition of the IPL in 2013, Sehwag had a poor run with the bat and the captaincy. He scored only 295 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 122.91. He also had a fallout with the team management and the coach Eric Simons over the team selection and strategy. He stepped down as the captain and was replaced by Mahela Jayawardene. The team finished ninth in the points table, their worst performance in the IPL.
Move to Kings XI Punjab
Virender Sehwag Biography, In the seventh edition of the IPL in 2014, Sehwag was released by Delhi Daredevils and was bought by Kings XI Punjab for 3.2 crore rupees. He joined the team as a senior batsman and mentor and played under the captaincy of George Bailey. He scored 455 runs in 17 matches at a strike rate of 146.05. He also hit his first century in the IPL, 122 off 58 balls, against Chennai Super Kings in the second qualifier in Mumbai. He became the third player to score a century in the knockouts of the IPL, after Adam Gilchrist and Murali Vijay. He helped the team reach their first-ever final, where they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders.
In the eighth edition of the IPL in 2015, Sehwag continued to play for Kings XI Punjab and scored 99 runs in 8 matches at a strike rate of 136.23. He also hit his second century in the IPL, 101 off 58 balls, against Chennai Super Kings in Pune. He became the second player to score two centuries in the IPL, after Chris Gayle. However, the team had a dismal season and finished last in the points table.
Sehwag played his last IPL match for Kings XI Punjab against Mumbai Indians in Mohali on May 3, 2015. He scored 7 runs off 6 balls and the team lost the match by 23 runs. He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on October 20, 2015, his 37th birthday. He played 104 IPL matches, scoring 2728 runs at an average of 27.56 with 2 centuries and 16 half-centuries. He also took 6 wickets with his off-spin bowling, with a best of 2 for 18.
Achievements and Legacy
Virender Sehwag Biography, Virender Sehwag was one of the most successful and influential batsmen in the IPL. He was known for his fearless and flamboyant batting style, his ability to score runs at a rapid pace, and his knack for hitting big shots. He was also a respected leader and mentor, who inspired and guided many young players in the league. He holds multiple records in the IPL, such as:
- The fastest fifty in the IPL (off 21 balls)
- The second-fastest fifty in the IPL (off 24 balls)
- The highest individual score by a captain in the IPL (87)
- The first player to win five consecutive Man of the Match awards in the IPL
- The third player to score a century in the knockouts of the IPL
- The second player to score two centuries in the IPL
- The most number of boundaries hit by a batsman in an IPL innings (21)
- The most number of sixes hit by a batsman in an IPL innings (12)
- The most number of runs scored by a batsman in an IPL over (26)
- The most number of IPL centuries by an Indian (2)
- The most number of IPL half-centuries by an Indian opener (16)
- The most number of runs scored by an Indian in a bilateral IPL series (464).
Virender Sehwag Biography: Awards and Honours
Virender Sehwag received many awards and honors for his outstanding contribution to Indian cricket and world cricket. Some of them are:
- Arjuna Award in 2002
- Padma Shri in 2010
- ICC Test Player of the Year in 2010
- Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 2008 and 2009
- ICC ODI Team of the Year in 2009 and 2011
- ICC Test Team of the Year in 2010 and 2011
- ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2023
Sehwag is also the recipient of many other accolades, such as the Polly Umrigar Award, the BCCI Cricketer of the Year, the Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year, the CEAT International Cricketer of the Year, the LG People’s Choice Award, and the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year in Sports.