Year 2008.
Imagine Team India having to chase 387 in the final innings of a Test match with 4 sessions left. Ideally, India should try to save wickets, play conservatively, and draw the game. Perhaps, if they have wickets in hand, look to enforce a result only in the final session of the 5th day. This should have been the traditional approach. But an opener had a completely different plan. The opener scored a swashbuckling 83 off just 68 deliveries and ensured that a draw was taken out of the equation. Eventually, he paved the way for India’s historic win. The batsman was none other than Virender Sehwag.
Sehwag was proper Box Office. He may not be as technically sound a batsman as some of his contemporaries were, but the joy he gave to Indian fans was unmatched. Many of us used to get up early, even on weekends, for a test match, just to watch him bat. He treated every bad delivery with the same disdain in every format. The same delivery that would be left or defended by most batters would be dispatched to the fence by Sehwag. There would never be any dull moment when he'd be at the crease. He never followed any conventions. It would be sometimes frustrating to see him get out chasing a wide delivery in the first over, but equally exhilarating to see him reach the landmark of 300 with a six.
He was a maverick in the true sense. Strangely, despite being known for his aggressive batting, he excelled in Tests and had a better red-ball career compared to white-ball. He was somewhat inconsistent in ODIs (going by his career average), but his impact was such that the leadership group was willing to take the extra risk. Even a quickfire run-a-ball 30 in ODIs would demoralise the opposition and lay an ideal platform for the middle order to capitalise and bide their time.
His contribution to Indian cricket shouldn’t be seen through the prism of stats, but the impact he had. He will forever be remembered as an entertainer who made the cricket fans glued to the screens whenever he came to bat.