Board Of Cricket fort Control in India (BCCI) President and former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly hailed Virender Sehwag as one of the best Test openers after batting great Sunil Gavaskar.
Debuting for India under the captaincy of Ajay Jadeja in an ODI against Pakistan in 1999, Virender Sehwag is arguably one the best openers India has ever produced.
Sehwag started his career at no.6 but it was Sourav Ganguly who made him open the innings for the first time for India during the England tour of 2002.
Sourav Ganguly congratulates Sunil Gavaskar on his 50th anniversary of India debut
However, opening the innings Sehwag achieved various milestones. He was the first Indian batsman to score a Test triple hundred in Tests when he made 309 against Pakistan and then became only one of the four batsmen to make two triple centuries in Tests when he made 319 against South Africa in 2008 in Chennai.
Sourav Ganguly, who is often credited for building the career of many players, revealed how he made Sehwag open the innings and lauded the latter as the best opener in Tests after Sunil Gavaskar in India.
"He was such a big player but didn't get a chance in the batting order. I told him during the England tour, 'no point in sitting in reserves. See if you can open the batting?'
“He didn't agree to in initially, said he's never done it and is a middle-order batsman. But see, from there, he became one of the greatest. After Gavaskar, I haven't seen a better opening batsman in Test cricket in India than him," Sourav Ganguly told the Republic Bangla.
Sourav Ganguly was handed the Indian captaincy back in the year 2000 when Sachin Tendulkar resigned after a horrendous tour of Australia.
Talking about how he got the captaincy, Ganguly said that he always gives his best shot' when given responsibility and the same happened with the captaincy of the team. He remembered that he got the unexpected job only because Sachin Tendulkar didn't want to continue in the position.
"I have this thing that if you give me responsibility, I will give my best shot. I don't know what it is. When Sachin quit captaincy in 1999 (2000), I didn't even know I would be taking charge. Back then Sachin and I were of the same age, no one could think someone other than Sachin could become India's captain. He did not want to do it, so I took over and I did." he said.
(The Republic Bangla/ Hindustan Times inputs)
