News Sports Cricket Kotla gate on my name a great honour, will motivate young cricketers: Virender Sehwag

Kotla gate on my name a great honour, will motivate young cricketers: Virender Sehwag

Gate number two of the iconic Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium has been named after former India opener Virender Sehwag.

virender sehwag Image Source : PTIA file image of Virender Sehwag.

Former India opener and destructive batsman Virender Sehwag on Tuesday said it was a great honour to have a gate at the iconic Feroz Shah Kotla stadium named after him. The 39-year-old Delhi stalwart, who is also known as the Nawab of Najafgarh, said the move will motivate many young cricketers in future. 

"It is a great honour and today we have a gate named after a cricketer but later we can have dressing room, stands and other things named after cricketers. It's a good thing and positive move from DDCA. I had a wish that whenever such a function happens, we should call all the cricketers who have represented Delhi and India," Sehwag said at a press conference.

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) last month decided to name gate No.2 of the Feroz Shah Kotla ground after Sehwag. It was officialy unvieled on Tuesday, a day before the opening T20 International between India and New Zealand. 

"Any young cricketer will get motivated reading the name. Virender Sehwag played here as a kid and when he left there is a gate named after him so if I can also play for U19, U16, U23 or Ranji for Delhi and then represent India, then a gate, stand or something will be after my name," Sehwag added.

Sehwag is widely regarded as one of the best Test openers from India to have played the game. He is the first Indian batsman to score a triple century in Test cricket, a feat which he has achieved twice.

Sehwag is also one of the five batsmen in world cricket to score a double hundred in ODI cricket.

During his international career, Sehwag has scored over 17,000 international runs.