He has confounded critics, upset bowlers and at times frustrated himself through his dismissals. Virender Sehwag is a blithe spirit who plays the game with an uncluttered mind. And it does show in a batting style that hinges on sharp reflexes and a bat-speed that is detrimental to a bowler’s ego.
The man, who has 5757 Test runs and tallied 6730 in One Day Internationals, has strangely failed to impose himself in the current Hero Honda Cup series against Australia. Scores of 13, 40, 11, 30, 38 and 6 that include a few first ball fours and a second ball six as evident in Sunday’s game at Guwahati, are pointers to a batsman who has got his starts but has failed to kick on from there.
No big stands
Sehwag has also failed to forge a big partnership with his opening partner Sachin Tendulkar and that has exposed the Indian middle-order to the probing queries of the Australian attack.
“We are expecting a substantial opening partnership soon,” Indian captain M.S. Dhoni had said recently while adding that Sehwag remains a ‘match-winner.’
Sehwag has promised much but only flickered briefly though his cameos have been a relief to Ponting. “He has had his starts but we have managed to prevent him from getting that big score which can take the game away from us. He has got out in similar fashion (bowled) to Mitchell Johnson thrice in this series and we have bowled close to the stumps and cut his angles near the off-stump,” Ponting said.
Shortcomings
Sehwag loves his space to flex his arms and send the ball soaring over the ropes. He however does tend to lose his bearing when cramped with the incoming delivery or the sharp bouncer that takes him by surprise.
Johnson, who has largely had a wretched time with the ball except for the spells in Guwahati, has often disturbed Sehwag’s citadel in this series.
Last year, Andrew Flintoff did cause some discomfort, with his bouncers angled into the opener’s body, though the dazzler from Delhi constantly ruined the then England skipper Kevin Pietersen’s strategies as India won the ODI series 5-0. Sehwag’s scores of 85, 1, 68, 69 and 91 ensured that England went back home with low morale besides forcing Pietersen to helplessly mumble: “Sehwag is a superstar.”
It was a phase when Sehwag had cemented his comeback to the Indian side and was at home in both Tests and in ODIs. Subsequently he scored two hundreds in the matches in Sri Lanka and New Zealand before a shoulder surgery forced him to miss the ICC World Twenty20 in England, the West Indies tour, Compaq Cup in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in South Africa.
Much expectations
Having done his rehabilitation stints at the National Cricket Academy, Sehwag has wended his way back to his rightful spot atop the batting pole in the Indian line-up. It is but natural that substantial runs are expected from a man who has two Test triple centuries to his credit. Last year, Sehwag said: “Coach Gary Kirsten asked me to understand the bowlers in the initial overs.”
May be it is a lesson that he could learn all over again. Attacking batsmanship is part of Sehwag’s genetic make-up and his strike-rate of 115.00 in the latest series against the Aussies is the best among the top-order batsmen.
It is a clear indicator that he still remains the bludgeoning force that can open the sluice gates, though big runs have eluded him. The faster Sehwag fuses quicksilver batting with consistent scores, the better it is for Indian cricket. The swashbuckler needs to fire again.
