Hope BCCI will honour Sehwag for his achievements, says Tharoor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday paid tribute to flamboyant former Indian opener Virender Sehwag after the latter announced his retirement from international cricket and said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) should honour Sehwag during the upcoming India-South Africa test series.

"I wanted him to be given a farewell test. I hope BCCI will find someway of paying tribute to him in some special way, perhaps during India-South Africa test series, as he made his debut against South Africa," Tharoor told ANI here.

"I always felt that he was let go so early. The thing about Sehwag is what an exciting player he was. How he could turn the match, how he scored fours and sixes almost at will. He is the only man to score a triple century for India twice,"Tharoor added.

Sehwag, officially announced his retirement from international cricket, on Tuesday and said that making his Test debut against South Africa was the most memorable moment of his career.

Considered as one of India's greatest opening batsmen, Sehwag scored 8,586 runs at an average of 49.34 in 104 Tests and has amassed 8,273 runs at an average of 35.05 in 251 ODIs.

The 37-year-old made his Test debut against South Africa in 2001 and ODI debut against Pakistan in 1999.

He holds multiple records, including the highest score made by an India n in Test cricket (319) and the fastest triple century in the history of international cricket (he scored 300 in 278 balls).

Sehwag was also part of the victorious squad in the 2007 World Twenty20 and Cricket World Cup in 2011.