Hours after India’s former opener Virendra Sehwag was inducted into the ‘ICC Hall of Fame’ – along with two others – by the International Cricket Council on 13 November, ex-Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly penned down an open letter to Sehwag, while cricket legend Sachin referred him as ‘partner in crime’.
Apart from supporting ICC in choosing the right person for the honour, Ganguly even mentioned that Sehwag is ‘probably the best opening batsman after Sunil Gavaskar’.
In his letter, Ganguly wrote, as quoted by ICC, “The ICC has absolutely chosen the right person to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. To me, and millions of others, you are a cricketing great.”
He added, “You scored runs at such a fast pace, you were just exceptionally good, and you are probably the best opening batsman after Sunil Gavaskar.”
Remembering the good old days, Ganguly recalled the match when Sehwag opened in ODI cricket against New Zealand in 2001 in Colombo for the first time and Sachin was injured.
“The first time you opened in ODI cricket, in Colombo in 2001, it was when Sachin was injured. The two of us put on a huge partnership against New Zealand and you got a hundred in 69 balls, which in those days was unheard of,” Ganguly said.
Among other things, Ganguly even mentioned that Sehwag’s opening made life easy for the batters that came after him.
Applauding Sehwag, Ganguly referred to him as very honest and straightforward and a fantastic gentleman. “As a teammate, you were very honest and straightforward and a fantastic gentleman. You were and are a very easy and happy-go-lucky person.”
Sachin Tendulkar’s remarks:
Not only Ganguly but even the ‘God of Cricket’ Sachin Tendulkar congratulated Sehwag, calling him ‘my friend and partner in crime’.
Taking to X, Sachin wrote, “It’s endearing to see three players – very different from each other and having played in different eras – making it to the ICC Hall of Fame. Senior cricketer Diana Edulji, who was one of the foremost female cricketers of India; Aravinda, who played a pivotal role in Sri Lanka lifting the ‘96 World Cup; and, of course, my friend and partner in crime @virendersehwag , who reimagined batting as a Test opener and started attacking all bowling attacks from the word go. Congratulations to all of them!”
Sehwag’s records:
Looking at the records, Sehwag played 104 Test matches in his career, where he scored 8,586 runs at an average of 49.34 and took 40 wickets. His highest score is 319, with 23 centuries and 32 half-centuries.
Sehwag also played 251 ODIs, where he scored 8,273 runs at an average of 35 and took 96 wickets. His highest score is 219, with 15 centuries and 38 half-centuries.
For T20Is, Sehwag played 19 matches and scored 394 runs with 2 half-centuries. His best is 68.
Other Hall of Fame awardees:
Apart from Virendra Sehwag, ICC inducted Sri Lankan player Aravinda de Silva and India’s arguably first great female cricketer Diana Edulji.
All three legends will be honoured at the Wankhede Stadium during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup semi-final, said ICC in a press statement on Monday.
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Updated: 14 Nov 2023, 04:58 PM IST