Virender Sehwag believes that young cricketers should bat more aggressively in Test cricket so that teams can win more matches and attract larger audiences into the stadiums. Sehwag cited England’s ultra-aggressive style under head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, working pretty well. Since June 2022, England has been the best in Test matches, with an average rate of 4.61 runs per over. Sehwag couldn’t help but wax lyrical about this very brand of ‘Bazball’, due to which he drew comparisons with Australia’s aggressive intent during the early 2000s, crediting it for their success.

“The way England is playing Test cricket, scoring at five runs an over is something remarkable. In our playing days, Australia used to score at 4 runs per over. I always believed that attacking gives your team a better chance to win Test matches,” Virender Sehwag mentioned in an interview with India Today.

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Virender Sehwag, known for his own aggressive style, ended his career with a strike rate of 82.23 in 104 Tests with accumulative runs of 8586 at an average of 49.34. He argued that an attacking game merges well with Test cricket, specifying such an outlook is likely to make the format more attractive to the audience.

“If anybody makes an aggressive game for Test cricket, then why not? We want people to come and watch Tests. Was it good or bad? I scored triple ton in 270-odd balls. Today’s kids might score 400 if they play that many balls,” he added.

Virender Sehwag holds the record for the highest strike rate in international red-ball cricket history with a minimum of 2500 runs to his credit and shares the record for most triple hundreds in Tests — two along with six double centuries. His carefree strokeplay made Test cricket a joy, and he hopes that the new generation of cricketers will take to a similar approach.

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Of the current crop, Yashasvi Jaiswal has shown a penchant for attacking game in Tests. The 22-year-old has played nine Tests and scored his runs at a strike rate of 70.07. Many liken Jaiswal to Sehwag, for the youngster seemed so fearless while batting in Test matches.