YUVRAJ DETHRONED, VIRENDER SEHWAG TAKES OVER AS DHONI'S NEW DEPUTY

Indian cricket team has a new ODI vice-captain - a 30-year-old who'll be the second-in-command of MS Dhoni's young brigade.
Virender Sehwag has done enough with the bat in recent times to earn the respect of the fans, his team-mates and selectors alike.
The move however severely dents Yuvraj Singh's promotion hopes.
Dhoni's deputy in one-dayers, Yuvi is struggling hard to maintain his form, fan-following and the faith of his team-mates and selectors alike.
"Virender Sehwag will be the vice-captain of the Indian team for the Nagpur Test against Australia, as well as the ODI and Test series against England," came a terse statement from N Srinivasan, Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
To quote former Indian cricketer Navjot Sidhu, "stats are like mini skirts, what they reveal is interesting, what they hide is vital."
But, in this case, they don't lie.
Over the last 12 months, Sehwag has played far less number of ODIs than Yuvraj and still emerged a more prolific run scorer.

Virender Sehwag in ODIs (last 12 months)
Matches: 16
Runs: 657
Batting Average: 41.06
100: 1

Yuvraj Singh in ODIs (last 12 months)
Matches: 26
Runs: 782
Batting Average: 34.00
100: 0 (none)

That's not all, there's every reason to 'officially' appoint Sehwag as Dhoni's deputy in Tests as well. The nawab of Najafgarh is the leading run-scorer in the Test matches in 2008, way ahead of the likes of South Africa's Graeme Smith and his own team-mate Sachin Tendulkar.

Top 5 run-getters in 2008 (Tests)

Virender Sehwag (India):
Matches: 12
Runs: 1261
Highest Score: 319
Batting Average: 60.04
100s: 3
50s: 4

Graeme Smith (South Africa)
Matches: 11
Runs: 1179
Highest Score: 232
Batting Average: 69.35
100s: 4
50s: 4

VVS Laxman (India)
Matches: 13
Runs: 1017
Highest Score: 200
Batting Average: 56.50
100s: 2
50s: 7

Neil McKenzie (South Africa)
Matches: 10
Runs: 960
Highest Score: 226
Batting Average: 64.00
100s: 3
50s: 2

Sachin Tendulkar (India)
Matches: 11
Runs: 895
Highest Score: 154*
Batting Average: 49.72
100s: 3
50s: 3