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Virender Sehwag reacts with folded hands after Viv Richards mentions him in the same sentence as Shahid Afridi
Virender Sehwag was 'humbled' reading what the great Viv Richards had to say about him, and Shahid Afridi.
A day after the legendary Viv Richards praised Virender Sehwag for his contributions in Test cricket, the former India opener reciprocated the respect to the Windies giant. Richards and Sehwag mirrored each other's attacking batting styles, but Viru carved out a career in demolishing bowling attacks in Test cricket. There's a reason why Sehwag is considered one of India's greatest openers, alongside Sunil Gavaskar. His swashbuckling batting against the moving red ball from opponents against Australia, South Africa and Pakistan made him a force to reckon with. The void left by Sehwag is being felt even today, as barring Yashasvi Jaiswal, no one has quite been able to cement that spot since his retirement in 2014.
Hence, it was no secret when Richards said, "When I watched Sehwag bat, I saw a reflection of myself. I found him even more dangerous than Shahid Afridi and Adam Gilchrist. Test cricket was fading, but Sehwag revived the format. The kind of excitement he brought to the game is one of the reasons 15,000 to 20,000 fans are turning up even today to watch a weakened West Indies team. That's Sehwag's legacy."
In response, Sehwag said he was 'humbled' by the compliment, reacting with a folded hand emoji. "Humbled, Sir @ivivianrichards. You made bowlers fear batsmen - I just kept the tradition alive for the next generation. Test cricket will never die as long as there's joy in attacking it," he posted on X.
It's imperative to think that Sehwag played his cricket in the exact words he wrote. Sehwag finished his Test career with 8586 runs from 104 matches, including a best of 319. In 2004, against Pakistan, Sehwag became the first Indian batter to score a triple-century in Tests, before repeating the feat against South Africa in Chennai four years later in 2008. The very next year, Sehwag could have struck a third triple, only to miss out by seven runs, getting dismissed for 293 against Sri Lanka. Sehwag’s strike-rate of 82.23 is still the best by any Indian batter.
When Sehwag smashed 195 against Australia in the 2003 MCG Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he did not mind going after the bowling at any stage of the innings – be it the last over before lunch, tea or stumps, Sehwag's template was simple – See ball, hit ball – something that many have tried to ape but have yet to master. Among the current crop, only Rishabh Pant comes to mind, whose batting somewhat resembles Sehwag, but for Viru to do what he did opening the inning, is just another testament to his greatness.
