They Began by calling him the poor man’s Tendulkar. Then they crowned him the Sultan of Multan before sending him back to his roots as the Nawab of Najafgarh. But now even the cleverest of sobriquets will not fit, for Virender Sehwag defies classification.
In joining Don Bradman and Brian Lara with two Test triple hundreds, Sehwag has not merely underscored India’s presence on the cricketing map, he has repaid the faith of the masses by giving them unbridled joy.
“Tomorrow I’ll be fresh again, and if I can bat till lunch, then maybe I’ll think about Lara’s score,” Sehwag said when he emerged from his ice-bath.
Any other cricketer would have spent a sleepless night. Knowing Sehwag, he may drift off to sleep the moment his head hits the pillow. And when the umpire calls play on the fourth morning, South Africa’s nightmare will resume.