Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag treated Test cricket as a batting powerplay long before anyone coined the term. His method was disarmingly simple: see ball, hit ball, and the scoreboard usually took care of itself. With an uncomplicated technique and violent hand speed, he turned opening in the longest format into a spectacle, never allowing bowlers to settle into a rhythm.

Sehwag's fearlessness defined his career. He scored two Test triple centuries, 309 against Pakistan at Multan in 2004, the first by an Indian, and 319 against South Africa at Chennai in 2008. His 293 against Sri Lanka in 2009 nearly made it three, an innings of pure audacity. In ODIs he was just as explosive, and his 219 against West Indies in 2011 was at the time the highest score in the format. He was part of India's 2011 World Cup-winning side.

Off the field, Sehwag's wit matched his batting. He made no secret of his limited interest in defensive technique, preferring to punish anything even fractionally overpitched and to use the crease cleverly against spin. Bowlers knew that a session against him could decide a Test match.

After retiring in 2015 with more than 8,500 Test runs and 8,273 in ODIs, Sehwag moved into commentary and mentoring, where his one-liners found a second audience. Young Indian batters still watch his innings, learning that intent can be a defence in itself. He remains a founding figure of modern attacking batting.