Virender Sehwag: 5 secrets of India's batting legend every cricket fan should know

Virender Sehwag is one of the finest openers to ever open for India. He holds a number of records in international cricket, while he was also the second-ever batsman to score a double century (219) in the One-Day Internationals, after Sachin Tendulkar (200*).

When it comes to the greatest Indian openers of all-time, Virender Sehwag is a name that pops in the minds of most of the Indian fans. Known for his swashbuckling attitude, to go slam-bang right from the start, Sehwag would forever remain special for the fans.

Owing to this very nature of his, India has scripted success on numerous occasions. Furthermore, it had earned Sehwag great global recognition, as he went on to hold several records across formats.

However, every cricketer has some secrets of his life, which he may or might not share with anyone. Nonetheless, here we present some of Sehwag's secrets you might not be aware of.

Banned on debut: Although this might not be a secret to most, it is indeed a fact that Sehwag was given a one-match suspension upon his debut. It was in 2001 when he made his Test debut against South Africa in Bloemfontein, during which he scored 105. However, he was found to be over-appealing, as he was banned from the next Test, at Port Elizabeth, by match referee Mike Denness. This also led to political tensions between ICC and the two nations.

His father did not want him to play cricket: During his childhood, Sehwag had once suffered a broken tooth while playing a match. Consequently, his father had asked him not to play cricket anymore. However, it was his mother who urged his father to help Viru in pursuing the game further, as she was able to convince him. He eventually did, as Viru went on to become the legend that he is today.

His father broke a promise: Sehwag's father used to be a smoker and an alcoholic. After Viru burst into the international scene, his father made a promise to him that he would quit his habits, if the former scored a century in international cricket. Nonetheless, despite 38 international centuries, his father did not give up his habits, as he claims that he would have not survived long had he done so.

Shutting up Shoaib Akhtar: During a match, Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar was trying to get under Sehwag's skin, asking him to play the hook shot to a bouncer. After repeated attempts, Sehwag told him that the man standing at the other end (Sachin Tendulkar) was his father, and he should ask him to play the shot, which he happily would. Akhtar did as told, and consequently, Tendulkar smashed him for a six off the hook. Sehwag later told Akhtar that a son is always the son, while a father is always the father.

Tendulkar is his idol: As he was well aware of Tendulkar being the god of the sport, he undoubtedly admired him a lot, while he happened to be his idol as well. Sehwag also admitted that in order to watch him bat, he would have left anything.