An open letter to the Nawab of Najafgarh - Virender Sehwag

Dear Viru Paaji,

When you bat, it’s as pleasant as a baby smiling, as glittering as the sky on Diwali and most importantly, as entertaining as an Eminem concert at a packed house in Wembley. Sachin’s straight drive was heartwarming, Sangakkara and Kohli’s cover drives were a treat to the eye, and there’s Sehwag spanking a boundary off the first ball that beats everything mentioned above.

There was a time in cricket when fans preferred to not watch the first few overs of an innings. The batsmen would love defending trying to settle in and the fans would fall asleep. Due respect to all the legendary openers of the 80s and 90s, cricket fans owe Virender Sehwag a huge debt of gratitude for rediscovering the art of opening.

Kiwi fans would argue it was the late great Martin Crowe who revolutionized an opener’s role with his aggressive tactics in the 1992 World Cup. Sri Lankan fans would say it was Sanath Jayasuriya who instilled fear in the bowlers and the Aussies will keep boasting about the Gilchrist-Hayden pair. CODSWALLOP!

Neither of these took the pressure on themselves to thwack the best bowler in the opposition so that the Sachins and Dravids can bat freely. Neither of these managed to ruffle the heartbeat of the greatest fast bowlers in the generation like McGrath or Dale Steyn. And not to forget, which one of these managed to spank a six batting on 295 knowing that the fielder was on the boundary line? (These are acts performed by an immortal of the game and practicing these at home or outside are strictly prohibited.)

Why does all the credit go to the Fab-4 of Indian cricket? Sachin Tendulkar – The man who made cricket a religion in India. Sourav Ganguly – The leader who made us believe. VVS Laxman – The savior in the middle order. Rahul Dravid – The wolf guarding the pack (Can’t argue with any of these, I adore all of them).

What about Sehwag? What about all the swashbuckling starts he has given? What about all those banters against the greatest bowlers which he managed to win without any fuss? Harsha Bhogle was right. It’s never the Fab-4, it’s always the “Fab-5”, with Sehwag being an integral and indispensable part of it.

Just Sehwag Things – Thug Life

One of the greatest Sehwag moments I remember is not everyone’s favorite, but it was the most pivotal and imperative contribution the great man ever made. Remember the World Cup 2011 semifinal between India and Pakistan at Mohali? The game which was given way more importance than a cricket match can ever get. Frankly, no game in the history of cricket saw this much hype, not even the final. Prime Ministers of both countries were there to witness the iconic clash.

Digging a little deeper, Pakistan’s spearhead back then, Umar Gul, was absolutely breathing fire in the tournament. People got worried on how would the Indian batsmen tackle him. No one knows what Sehwag was thinking at that point, but he clearly did a huge damage that not many took notice. He smashed a boundary through the covers in his very first over and after what happened in Gul’s next over, the latter was no more Pakistan’s best bowler.

Sehwag smashed the poor lad for 5 boundaries in the over and Mohali (if not, the entire country) was buzzing in joy. After getting thrashed emphatically by Sehwag’s lazy elegance, the man who was supposed to Afridi’s most potent weapon, went for 69 runs in 8 overs.

In a game as ferociously intense as this, where India scored 260 and managed to defend it, 69 runs in 8 overs are as massive as Chris Gayle’s 175. Sehwag scored just 38 off 25 balls in that Semifinal, but off the nine boundaries he scored, 8 of them were off Umar Gul and this tactical masterstroke was one of the chief catalysts behind India’s triumph that day.

The triple tons you’ve scored, the fun you provided, people always say the word “Entertainment” in cricket is synonymous to Sir Vivian Richards, but that was the 20th century. We knew only one entertainer, who never fails to impress, let that be on the field of play or through his hilarious Tweets.

Thank you, Viru Paaji for everything! You might not be the Purists’ favorite, but for everyone who worshiped the game in this country filled with cricket maniacs, you are a hero, you are an inspiration, you are reminiscent of no one and that’s the reason, you’re the Nawab of Najafgarh.

Happy Birthday, Paaji!