Viru sends ‘Sholay’ wishes to birthday boy VVS
NEW DELHI: As a carefree batsman, Virender Sehwag’s sledging often left rival bowlers in stitches than fuming. ‘Yeh bowling kar raha hai ya bheekh maang raha hai? (Is he bowling or begging?)’ was aimed at Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar as the latter kept asking Sehwag to go for a hook. Whistling while batting too left the bowlers bemused.
Having settled into the TV commentators box after retirement, Sehwag has turned into a rage on Twitter, be it friend or foe at the ‘receiving’ end. Viru was back to his hilarious self on Tuesday as he used the popular ‘Sholay’ reference while wishing former teammate VVS Laxman on his 42nd birthday. Happy Birthday @VVSLaxman281 . If Vanigurappa Venkata Sai ji was in Sholay, Gabbar would have said “Yeh kalaai (wrist) humka dede Laxman” the exIndia opener tweeted. Laxman was part of the ‘Fab Four’ of Indian cricket, arguably the most popular group of batsmen in modern cricket. From Sachin Tendulkar’s perfection to Rahul Dravid’s finesse to Sourav Ganguly’s aggression, the quartet had all the attributes to produce a masterpiece.
But, the one who stood out for his wristy strokeplay and magical timing was the ‘very, very, special’ Laxman.
The Hyderabad-born cricketer was a mainstay in the Indian middle order in the early 2000s, and his 281 against Australia at Eden Gardens is still regarded as one of the best knocks in cricket history. In his illustrious Test career, Laxman scored 17 centuries and 56 fifties, ending with an impressive average of 45.97.
@YUVSTRONG12
Many happy returns of the day to very very special person and a legend of Indian cricket ! @VVSLaxman281 god bless you buddy