Sehwag like Dravid, and a Dravid like Sehwag

Sehwag and Dravid are back playing for India again. The two youngsters, Aaryavir Sehwag and Anvay Dravid, took centre stage in India’s victorious campaign at the U19 Asia Cup 2026, where the side beat Pakistan in a nail-biter.

Aaryavir top-scored (361 runs at 90.25 avg) in India’s campaign, winning the Player of the Series award. Anvay, on the other hand, was extremely assured as a wicketkeeper on pitches that seamed and bounced considerably in the first 10-15 overs of every game.

Throughout the tournament, the two youngsters caught the eye with their contrasting styles of batting.

Aaryavir Sehwag, the opener, has impeccable foot movement and takes his time to settle against the new ball. In sharp contrast to his father, Virender Sehwag, Aaryavir slowly opens up after seeing off the new ball.

And once he does, it turns into utter carnage, just like his father, as he has the ability to crash his cuts through covers, lift the ball over the bowler’s head and slog spinners out of the park.

THE HYPER-AGGRESSIVE DRAVID

Anvay Dravid, on the other hand, is very different from Sehwag. He likes to go after the bowler from the very first ball after he enters the crease.

This was evident in the final against Pakistan as well. Aaryavir took his time at the crease against the spirited opening spell from Ali Raza and Mohammad Sayyam, getting India off to a steady start in the final.

Sehwag’s watchful approach made sure that India did not crumble early, as they had against Pakistan earlier in the tournament.

The 98-run opening partnership between him and Lakshya Raichandani was the perfect stand India needed to chase down the huge target of 338 runs.

Anvay, on the other hand, walked out to bat in the 33rd over with India having lost four wickets. India were under pressure and in desperate need of boundaries.

Without fear, he pulled his second ball aggressively to deep mid-wicket and then cut his third ball hard for a four.

This is a classic trait of Anvay’s batting: his ability to score runs quickly in the middle order. In the recent Youth ODIs against Sri Lanka, Dravid blasted 87 off 67 balls and 38 off 18, taking on the bowlers from the very first ball.

While his innings of 19 off 12 balls was cut short by a run-out, it had enough signs of his class and how good he could be under pressure situations.

WEIGHT OF THEIR NAMES

For all their differences at the crease, Aaryavir and Anvay have one thing in common. They are growing up with surnames that carry enormous weight in Indian cricket. Every innings, every dismissal and every promising stroke invites comparisons with two of India’s most celebrated batters.

Both players know very well what their names mean in the context of Indian cricket. Before going to play the U19 Asia Cup, Aaryavir asked Delhi’s U19 head coach for advice.

“How do I shed the weight of my name and play freely?”

“I told him not to take the pressure of the name. His style of play is different from his father’s,” Aaryavir Sehwag’s coach Rajeev Nayyar told India Today.

Aaryavir was asked to keep things simple.

“I told him that once he gets a good start, he should look to bat long. Earlier, he was getting starts and then getting out after scoring 40 or 50. I reminded him that he is an opener. If he bats for 40-50 overs, he can score 150 or even close to 200. He is a stroke player, so he has to play his shots, but according to the merit of the ball,” Rajeev Nayyar said.

“I had also told him that if he gets six runs in an over, he should look to collect the remaining runs through singles. Initially, he wasn’t doing that consistently, but he has started doing it now.”

It helps that Nayyar has played with Sehwag, the senior. The current Delhi U19 coach is a stalwart of Himachali cricket. He has captained the state and batted with Virender Sehwag in the Duleep Trophy.

Rajeev recalls the joy of batting with Sehwag in 1999, when he scored 118 and Sehwag made 274.

“When I watch some of Aaryavir’s shots, I see similarities with Virender Sehwag. The way he hits spinners without necessarily stepping out of the crease, particularly over the covers, reminds me of his father.”

“He can play those back-foot punches through the gaps and hit over the covers. Against left-arm spin, he can also hit the ball over long-off while standing in his crease. That is not an easy shot, particularly against faster bowlers.”

THE MAKING OF ANVAY DRAVID

If Aaryavir has taken the more measured route to batting, Anvay seems to have borrowed a little from the man who made aggression an art form. Just like Aaryavir, Anvay Dravid’s square and late cuts are the spitting image of his father. But unlike Rahul, he is happy to charge against the bowler from the very first ball.

When asked about where he gets the hyper-attacking trait from, Anvay’s coach Karthik Jeshwanth reacts surprised.

“Do you think that he is an attacking cricketer?”

I gently reply that, in the outings I have seen him bat, he has taken on bowlers, especially spinners, from the start.

“He has his basics very well covered, and he has started to express himself as a batter,” Karthik Jeshwanth tells India Today from Bengaluru.

“I think he’s a balanced guy. It’s not like he’s Virender Sehwag as such. He’s not a striker like that, but he’s more of a mix of probably Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag,” he adds.

Karthik Jeshwanth has been working with Anvay since he was 10. The youngster is about 17 and a half years old now.

One of the traits that sets Anvay apart from the rest is the fact that he does not have all his eggs in one basket – cricket – unlike many youngsters trying to pursue professional sport.

“He goes to school, college, and then he’s got his friends. He’s a well-rounded guy. He won’t very easily come under pressure. I see that at this age, these kids give up education, school and all that, and put all their eggs in one basket,” Karthik Jeshwanth says.

It is his mother, Dr Vijeta Pendharkar, and father, Rahul Dravid, who have instilled in him the understanding that in life, and in a professional career, there are more bad days than good ones.

“They’ve been really well brought up. When they’re on the cricket ground, they’re up to it. They’re mentally not fatigued or pressurised,” he adds.

“Knowing Rahul, he’s a person who’s God-fearing and who still has that nice culture. He’s been brought up in a nice way, believing that there is God, there is something beyond us, and that effort is in our hands, results are not in our hands. They’ve been brought up in this culture,” the coach concludes.

THE COMMON TRAITS OF AARYAVIR AND ANVAY

Away from the spotlight that comes with their surnames, both Aaryavir and Anvay have earned the respect of their coaches for the way they approach their cricket. There is a certain curiosity about the game and an attention to detail that has stood out to the people who have worked with them closely.

Aaryavir first came into the limelight while playing in the Delhi Premier League. His coach at the West Delhi Lions, Udey Gupte, a veteran in Delhi’s cricketing circles, says that junior Sehwag is a very meticulous guy.

Gupte recalls that Aaryavir would come to the nets on time, work on his skills and ask a lot of questions.

His personal coach Rajeev Nayyar, who is now overseeing U19 development in Delhi, reveals that Aaryavir called him before the final against Pakistan, not to talk about the crunch game, but to tell him that he would go straight into Delhi’s Cooch Behar squad a day after playing the summit clash.

Anvay, on the other hand, as Jeshwanth explains, is also a very good listener.

“When you talk to Anvay, you don’t feel like you’re talking to a kid. He’s very studious, very meticulous. He’s well aware of the majority of the things going around him and the world. If you can pinpoint something beyond that, he’s got all the ears for you. He’s like that. If you have something to contribute beyond the basics, he’s got time for you. He’s that kind of a guy,” he says.

India’s win at the U19 Asia Cup 2026 has brought both youngsters into sharper focus, Aaryavir more so after his Player of the Series performance.

Both coaches believe that the next few years will be crucial as the boys look to express themselves as batters in the competitive circuit. They agree that the two have what it takes to become professional cricketers.

All eyes will be on Aaryavir after his Player of the Series performance in the U19 Asia Cup, while Anvay’s attacking cameos will most certainly continue to attract attention if he keeps up the explosiveness.

In time, India could end up having Sehwag and Dravid playing in the same team again. But this time, it would be a Sehwag like Dravid, and a Dravid like Sehwag.

– Ends