Irrespective of the field, there’s a very thin line between being confident and overconfident. No matter in which of the two categories you fall under, you are bound to get lauded when your audacious challenge meets the desired outcome. Former Indian batter Virender Sehwag had, not once but twice, put himself in such gnarly situations while playing against Pakistan in the past.
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The first one was his ever-famous stubbornness to hit spinner Saqlain Mushtaq for a six whilst batting at 295* during the memorable Multan Test in 2004. The other one involved toying with the likes of Inzamam-ul-Haq and Danish Kaneria in Bengaluru next year. In what was his ninth Test century, it was Sehwag’s fifth at home and second against Pakistan.
How Virender Sehwag Requested Inzamam-ul-Haq Before Hitting Danish Kaneria For A Six
It all happened on the third day of the match when the ‘Nawab of Najafgarh’ decided to play with the ego of then Pakistan Test captain Inzamam-ul-Haq.
During a recent episode of popular chat show Breakfast with Champions, the 44-year-old revealed how he had this courage to hilariously persuade Haq to have the fielder at long-on move inside to mid-on. Why? So that he could hit leg-spinner Kaneria for a six in that direction!
“Kaneria bowling kar raha tha, around the wicket pads pe. Mere runs rok rahe the. Maine kaha ‘Inzy bhai, yaar, badi der ho gayi, pair bhi dard karne lag gaye hain. Kitna lamba stretch karke pad marta rahun?’ Maine kaha ‘Long-on ko upar bula lo’. Bole ‘Kya karega?’. Maine kaha, ‘Chakka marunga’. Keh rahe, ‘Tu aise hi mazak kar raha hai’. Maine kaha, ‘Nahi marunga toh agli ball peeche kar lena [Kaneria was bowling around the wicket targeting my pads. He was preventing me from scoring. I was like, ‘Inzy bhai, its been long enough, my feet are hurting too much. For how long will I keep hitting the ball with my pads. I told him, ‘Bring long-on up’. He remarked, ‘What would you do?’. I told, ‘Will hit a six’. He was like, ‘You are joking’. I replied, ‘If I won’t hit, take the fielder back the next ball].”
Sehwag continued:
“To unhone upar bulaya. Kaneria ne googly dali, use pata nahin tha. Toh maine long-on pe chakka maar diya. Kaneria gussa ho gaya ki ‘Bhai, isko kyun bula liya?’. Inzamam told, ‘Tu chup-chap jaa ke khada reh, tujhe kya pata yahan kya ho raha hai?’ [So, he called him up. Kaneria bowled a googly, he didn’t know. So, I hit a six over long-on. Kaneria was furious, ‘Inzy brother, why did you call him up?’ Inzamam replied, ‘You go stand there quietly. You don’t know what’s happening between us].”
Virender Sehwag vs Danish Kaneria Head to Head Record in Test Cricket
Sehwag had batted against Kaneria across seven Test match innings. He faced 238 deliveries bowled by the right-arm bowler, and scored 183 runs with the help of 22 fours and three sixes while being dismissed once.
Virender Sehwag Record vs Pakistan in Tests
The right-handed batter had played a total of nine Tests (14 innings) against Pakistan between 2004-2006.
During this period, he scored 1,276 runs including four centuries and two half-centuries at a stupendous average and strike rate of 91.14 and 80.20 respectively.
In fact, Sehwag was the highest run-scorer during the aforementioned Pakistan’s tour of India in 2005. During a three-match series, he had scored 544 runs at an average of 90.66 with the help of a couple of centuries and a half-century.
