Virender Sehwag has become one of the most loved Hindi commentators in India. His unique style of commentary, interspersed with light-hearted comments and jokes, have endeared him to the multitude of fans who tune into watch India's matches broadcasted in Hindi.
However, like his batting, Viru could appear carefree in his commentary as well and make comments which may rub some people the wrong way. When the India vs Bangladesh match in the ICC 2019 World Cup was about to begin and the players were out on the field, the former India opener made some comments on the microphone which may appear rather disrespectful to fans of Bangladesh.
The man with two triple centuries in World Cup said to his co-commentator Aakash Chopra: "Bangladesh are a solid side but I have never rated them very highly. Yes they did defeat us in the 2007 World Cup but since then, we have beaten them many times."
This is not the first time that Viru's comments on Bangladesh have been controversial. Way back in 2010, Sehwag offended supporters of the Tigers by making a rather provocative comment before the start of a two-match Test series in January of that year. The dashing former opener had described the hosts of the series and India's opponents as ordinary and brushed aside their chances of recording an upset win over India.
When asked by a journalist at a press conference whether he feels Bangladesh are capable of defeating India in the Tests coming up, Sehwag's straight reply was: "No. They can't beat us in Test matches. They can surprise you in ODIs but not in Tests." When asked to elaborate on his blunt assessment, he added, "Because they can't take 20 Indian wickets. Even Sri Lanka found it difficult. Bangladesh can't. They are an ordinary side."
This may be described as candour on part of Sehwag. At that time, his comments turned out to be very controversial but this time, since he is speaking in Hindi to an Indian audience, they may well fall below the radar. However, a little more respect towards a team like Bangladesh would not hurt Viru.
