Vitendar Sehwag

Virender Sehwag, affectionately known as Viru and the Nawab of Najafgarh, also called the Zen master of modern cricket, or the Viv Richards of this era by columnists, is one of the finest and most destructive batsmen in world cricket, Sehwag was born on October 20, 1978 in Delhi. He is a top order right handed batsman and a right arm off break bowler.

Son of a grain merchant, Sehwag spent his childhood in a bungalow in a joint family. Though now settled in New Delhi, the family hailed from Haryana. He was the third of four children born to father Krishan and mother Krishna, with two older sisters Manju, Anju and younger brother Vinod. His father attributes his interest in cricket to a toy bat which he was given when he was seven months old. He attended Arora Vidya School in Delhi and pestered his parents to let him play cricket, on the basis that he was not academically gifted.

Sehwag married Aarti Alhawat in April, 2004 under heavy security in a media publicized wedding. The couple has two sons Aaryavir and Vedhant. Sehwag is fondly referred to in the media as the Nawab of Najafgarh, Najafgarh being his home locality in Delhi. A lifelong vegetarian, he owns a vegetarian eatery, Sehwag Favorites, which opened in late 2005 in the Fun Republic Cineplex in Delhi.

As a starry-eyed youngster from Najafgarh, where his family ran a flour mill, Sehwag grew up, like many others from his generation, wanting to be Sachin Tendulkar. Indeed, when he scored his first one-day hundred, filling up for his injured idol against New Zealand in Sri Lanka, he could have been mistaken for him: there was the same back-foot punch on the off side, the minimalistic straight drive and the wristy whip to the leg.

Sehwag played his first one day international in 1999 and joined the national Test team in 2001. He became the first Indian cricketer to be honored the Wisden Leading Cricketer in 2008 and also in 2009.

His uncomplicated approach – batting is all about scoring as many runs as quickly as possible – showcases a sharp and street-smart cricket mind. He has a keen grasp of his own, and his opponents’ strengths and weaknesses and exploits them in a forensic manner. What appears risky to many is merely an opportunity for him. And his lack of footwork, which does get him in trouble against the moving ball, is mostly an advantage, for it creates space for his brilliant handwork. Few batsmen have hit the ball harder square on the off side, and fewer still have hit them as frequently. The sight of a spinner brings the savage out in him. For many spectacular assaults against the world’s leading spinners, there have been numerous outrageous dismissals against the not-so-reputed ones.