Sehwag: Knowing the man behind the batsman
Two of his closest friends recall their association with the swashbuckling batsman

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

THE Twitter bug has only recently caught Virender Sehwag. The swashbuckling batsman’s millions of fans are now closer to him than ever before. So far, the world has been getting to read or listen to Sehwag’s quips and teasing one-liners only through the media— but now he tweets almost every day.

However, Twitter cannot reveal the real Sehwag, who is extremely witty and a master at pulling other people’s leg. Only his really close friends, with whom he has spent many years and still spends time, know the real person inside Virender Sehwag.

The world knows that Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar are close, but not many are aware that Viru opens up a lot more in the company of some of the lesser-known names of cricket like Delhi-based Raju Sharma, who represented Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy betweem 1993 and 2002, Mahesh Bhati, who led Jamia Millia Islamia to its only Rohinton Baria Trophy triumph in 1991-92, Delhi Ranji batsman Mithun Manhas and ex-India pacer Amit Bhandari.

Interestingly, all of them live within a few kilometres of each other in south Delhi. And when Viru is part of this company they all go bananas, cracking jokes, pulling each other’s leg and recalling silly tales from the past — from Virdhavan to Sharjah to Palval — as was witnessed the other day during a local match.

Incidentally, Sehwag, Sharma and Bhati attended Jamia Millia Islamia and that cemented their bond further. “When we meet we recall incidents that happened 15 years ago hundreds of times and laugh our hearts out,” said Sharma, also a BCCI Level-1 coach. “Viru is very sharp, intelligent and has a great sense of humour. He has reached the top because he’s a good person, apart from being a talented player.”

As a rookie, Sehwag started out with Kranti Star Club under Bhati’s captaincy in a team which also included Sharma. Both recall that Viru was very young when their coach RP Sharma asked Bhati to give him an opportunity in the Goswami Ganesh Dutt Tournament in the early 1990s.

“In that match, we also got a taste of Sehwag’s temperament. He told his Najafgarh friends, who had come to watch him play, that he would smash sixes off off-spinner Rajesh Chauhan, who was then representing India,” recalled Bhati. Even Rahul Dravid has commented that Sehwag has a habit of devising his strategies sitting in the dressing room.

Although Sharma and Bhati are older than Sehwag, the three have gelled remarkably because of their idiosyncrasies, sense of humour and the knack of keeping everyone in high spirits. They are excellent raconteurs. When Sehwag played for Leicestershire in England in 2003, Sharma, who has also played in the Leicestershire league, stayed with him and had a great time.

“We often ate out, though I would make tea etc. at our flat,” he recalled. Later, Sehwag’s parents and younger brother Vinod joined them. Needless to say, food was subsequently never a problem.

Recalling Sehwag’s passion for cricket, Bhati said he never accepted the usual match fees after joining Collage Club in the mid-1990s. “He used to tell me he was only interested in playing the game. He was reluctant to accept even the prize money,” he said. “He reached the ground well before all of us. Once, after he bought his first car, a Santro, he reached the ground so early that we found him sleeping inside when we reached the venue.”

Sehwag remains humble, says Sharma. “He used to come to my home on his old scooter and now visits us in a BMW. But he hasn’t changed one bit,” he says.
(from 'Third Umpire', the fortnightly column that I write in Mail Today)