Cricketing fraternity pours wishes as Virender Sehwag celebrates his 45th birthday

Virender Sehwag made 8586 runs in 104 Tests and 8273 runs in 251 ODIs for India.

One of the most exciting batters of his era, India’s Virender Sehwag turned 45 on October 20, 2023. He was born on this date in Najafgarh in Delhi.

Sehwag, who was born into a middle-class household in Najafgarh, grew up wanting to be a cricketer like Sachin Tendulkar. Soon after, the player went on to amass over 16,000 runs for India in all formats, cementing his place in the pantheon of Indian cricket legends.

Virender Sehwag made his ODI debut against Pakistan at Mohali in 1999. His Test debut came against South Africa at Bloemfontein in 2001. In that match, the opener smashed 105 runs on the day in a losing effort for India.

Shortly, Sehwag became a crucial part of the Indian team in all formats. He was also the first man to captain India in T20Is, against South Africa in 2006. He captained India in ODIs and Tests as well and was the first captain to score a double-century in ODIs, a feat he achieved against West Indies in 2011.

Virender Sehwag, one of only four batters with two triple-tons in Test cricket

Despite having a technique and attitude fit for limited-overs games, Sehwag excelled in Test cricket the most. He was the first Indian to score a Test triple-century which came in 2004 against Pakistan in Multan. His second triple century came in 2008 against South Africa at home and he could have become the first to hit three triple tons if he hadn’t gotten out for 293 against Sri Lanka.

With this feat, he joined the likes of Sir Don Bradman, Brian Lara, and Chris Gayle as batters to score two triple-tons in Tests.

He was also part of India’s 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup wins and captain India in multiple matches. He ended his career with 8586 runs in 104 Tests and 8273 runs in 251 ODI matches with a combination of 38 centuries. His highest Test score was 319 and his highest ODI score was 219.

Today as he turns 45, Virender Sehwag received lots of wishes on social media, both from former teammates and fans.

Here's how everyone wished Sehwag on his 45th birthday:

https://twitter.com/sachin_rt/status/1715283344190259453

https://twitter.com/rpsingh/status/1715281589763244434

https://twitter.com/parthiv9/status/1715272346087600505

https://twitter.com/robbieuthappa/status/1715255956261445914

https://twitter.com/cheteshwar1/status/1715255346350948739

https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1715210599188291673

https://twitter.com/harbhajan_singh/status/1715218844908953760?

https://twitter.com/YUVSTRONG12/status/1715226213130670544

https://twitter.com/ImRaina/status/1715238611468402757

https://twitter.com/SunRisers/status/1715249382524944663?s=20