The cricket world raises a toast for Sehwag

Mumbai, December 9: Explosive batsman and one of the game’s greatest entertainers, Virender Sehwag has earned an enviable place in the ODI record books by scoring 219 runs in the fourth ODI against West Indies. The cricket world praised the beloved player’s performance on Twitter and other media.

The most favorable reactions came from the two men who may pose the only threat to Sehwag’s record unless Sehwag decides to beat himself.

“Well, I’ve seen some of those innings from Viru… Brilliantly eye-catching!! Congratulations on your 219… That’s child abuse! (As) The Mask would say: Smoking!”, tweeted Chris Gayle in his inimitable style.

David Warner raved about his Delhi Daredevils teammate as he tweeted: ‘Wow, Test match tomorrow, but I’m still watching Virender Sehwag, hopefully, score 200. Unreal, and he (achieves) the highest ever. Well done mate!”

As Sehwag plundered the West Indian bowlers, Kevin Pietersen knew something special was about to happen. His Twitter update read: “If you are a cricket fan, turn on your TV now and watch a genius bat. Sehwag (is) destroying the WI. The world record is coming.”

Pietersen’s words turned out to be prophetic. And as the record was broken, former KP captain Michael Vaughan announced: “I have to say Sehwag is the best player in the world to watch…”

MS Dhoni also conveyed his regards to the popular batsman via Twitter and said, “Ppl thought there were few who had a CD score of 200 after (Sachin) paji. I have always believed that there is only one, one of our modern legends: virender sehwag. Good job virus, double it.”

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly saw the innings as the perfect preparation for the upcoming tour of Australia.

“The double hundred will be a big morale booster for him with the tough Australian tour coming up. You will find the bowling attack in different conditions Down Under. This double barrel will certainly give him a lot of confidence. This is a great achievement and I congratulate Sehwag for this great achievement,” Ganguly wrote on his official website.

Zaheer Khan, India’s pace spearhead, returns to action in Australia, told bcci.tv: “It’s a pleasure to see Sehwag banging. He has scored two triple tons in Tests and now a 200 in ODI. You have to have Sehwag’s batting style to do things like that. Once he knows it’s his day, he makes sure he gets a big one. The secret to Sehwag’s success is that he keeps things very simple. He sees the ball and hits it.”

Sehwag’s memorable innings inevitably drew comparisons with the legendary Sir Vivian Richards. Yuvraj Singh, India’s hero at the 2011 World Cup, tweeted: ‘I have never seen Mr Viv, but I have seen Sehwag! What a player! 219 in a one-day game is virtually impossible!”

Former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja said: “When Viv Richards retired, I thought it was the end of entertainment. But then came Sehwag, the king of entertainment! Long live the king!!”

Popular Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh knows what Sehwag can do to a bowler’s psyche. “By far, Viru is the most dangerous batsman in world cricket.” said the feisty cricketer. “I have always said that no bowler can stop him on his day. As his teammate, I am really proud that a special player like him has achieved this achievement,” he said.

Former South African all-rounder Jonty Rhodes, who said he “expected Sehwag to score a double century in ODIs”, was assisted by legendary Pakistani leg-spinner Abdul Qadir.

“I have always been a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar and when he scored a double hundred against South Africa, I immediately thought of Sehwag’s name,” Qadir was quoted as saying by news agencies.

The dashing opener also received high praise from Krish Srikkanth, the chairman of the Indian selectors, who described him as “one of the greatest players (he) has ever seen” and the knock as “incredible”.

While most of the world was enraptured by Sehwag’s genius, experts tried to unravel the secret behind the man’s extraordinary ability.

Commentator Harsha Bhogle wondered out loud: “If (sic) sehwag achieves these milestones because he doesn’t worry about it.” Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar echoed his views and said, “It must be somewhere in the back of his mind, but Sehwag’s 200s and 300s seem incidental as he runs an all-out attack.”

But there is one message that Sehwag would cherish the most as it came from the man he grew up watching and whose record he broke while achieving this feat. “I am very happy for Viru. It is even more satisfying that an Indian has broken my record,” Tendulkar said on the occasion.