Natural, instinctive, pristine, predatory even and yet delectable - you might hear these terms on a national geographic feature but they best represent Virender Sehwag. He was by far India's best opening batsman since Sunny Gavaskar.
No Parallel:
Kris Srikkanth had been a good opener with limited success. Sachin in ODIs had shown the world a different dimension to batsmanship. Jayasuriya and Mark Greatbatch had popularized a phenomenon called "pinch-hitting". And ofcourse the world had witnessed the marauding swagger of Vivian Richards and stunning effectiveness of Kapil Dev.
Kris Srikkanth had been a good opener with limited success. Sachin in ODIs had shown the world a different dimension to batsmanship. Jayasuriya and Mark Greatbatch had popularized a phenomenon called "pinch-hitting". And ofcourse the world had witnessed the marauding swagger of Vivian Richards and stunning effectiveness of Kapil Dev.
The change:
But when he arrived on the world cricket scene, Virender Sehwag was an original, and a refreshing one at that. When he smashed that 101 on test debut against South Africa during that counter attacking partnership with Sachin, Ganguly knew he had unearthed one of India's greatest impact player because by then he had smashed a hapless Kiwi attack to a 90 ball hundred in an ODI. Saurav made Sehwag open. The rest as they say is history.
But when he arrived on the world cricket scene, Virender Sehwag was an original, and a refreshing one at that. When he smashed that 101 on test debut against South Africa during that counter attacking partnership with Sachin, Ganguly knew he had unearthed one of India's greatest impact player because by then he had smashed a hapless Kiwi attack to a 90 ball hundred in an ODI. Saurav made Sehwag open. The rest as they say is history.
Paradigm:
Many people saw him as a carbon copy of Sachin in his early career and it only inspired him. And yet he built a game of his own what years later would come to become a mindset, a paradigm, a school and ofcourse a way of life. He defined calmness in calamity before India found their latest Zen master called MSD. The sheer simplicity of his game and approach was a connoisseur's delight. Mind you he was as street smart as they come. You don't make 17000 International runs if you aren't. He might have been a really good captain but MSD had already become the toast of the nation after 2007 so Sehwag's ambitions were to be limited, not that it would have bothered him. Even during the much reported differences between Dhoni and Sehwag, Sehwag's press conferences indicate immense genuine respect for MSD. He was a puritan, the most uncomplicated cricketer I've ever seen and a complete reflection of love you had for the game when you first started watching and playing the game as a kid.
Many people saw him as a carbon copy of Sachin in his early career and it only inspired him. And yet he built a game of his own what years later would come to become a mindset, a paradigm, a school and ofcourse a way of life. He defined calmness in calamity before India found their latest Zen master called MSD. The sheer simplicity of his game and approach was a connoisseur's delight. Mind you he was as street smart as they come. You don't make 17000 International runs if you aren't. He might have been a really good captain but MSD had already become the toast of the nation after 2007 so Sehwag's ambitions were to be limited, not that it would have bothered him. Even during the much reported differences between Dhoni and Sehwag, Sehwag's press conferences indicate immense genuine respect for MSD. He was a puritan, the most uncomplicated cricketer I've ever seen and a complete reflection of love you had for the game when you first started watching and playing the game as a kid.
Nostalgia:
He played many fabulous ODI innings including the savage world record 219. But for a man who batted like he did, it confounded pundits and people alike how he averaged 50 in Tests and 35 in ODIs but it was the truth. He was a much much better Test batsman than an ODI batsman and I think that alone endears him to many especially me.
- The 309 in Multan was epochal not just because it came against a quality Pakistani bowling attack consisting of Shoaib, Sami, Shabbir and Saqlain, not just because of the gravity of the series coming as it did after 15 years but also because not since Bradman had the world seen a batsman score 300 in a day and a half.
- 195 in Melbourne had breathed hope into a hard fought series for India;
- 155 against Mcgrath & co in Chennai set up the test match for India in the final frontier series which rain eventually spurned,
- 254 at Lahore was part of as legendary an opening partnership with Dravid as his typical statement " who is Vinoo Mankad" when told of the record
- 319 in Chennai was against the March heat and not just South African bowling,
- 201 and 293 against Sri Lanka were when 10 other batsman coudn't even defend Mendis,
- 83 against England on 4th day turner in chase of 385 just after the nation been in a sombre mood post the Mumbai attacks
- oft forgotten 150 in Adelaide in that infamous 2008 series
He played many fabulous ODI innings including the savage world record 219. But for a man who batted like he did, it confounded pundits and people alike how he averaged 50 in Tests and 35 in ODIs but it was the truth. He was a much much better Test batsman than an ODI batsman and I think that alone endears him to many especially me.
- The 309 in Multan was epochal not just because it came against a quality Pakistani bowling attack consisting of Shoaib, Sami, Shabbir and Saqlain, not just because of the gravity of the series coming as it did after 15 years but also because not since Bradman had the world seen a batsman score 300 in a day and a half.
- 195 in Melbourne had breathed hope into a hard fought series for India;
- 155 against Mcgrath & co in Chennai set up the test match for India in the final frontier series which rain eventually spurned,
- 254 at Lahore was part of as legendary an opening partnership with Dravid as his typical statement " who is Vinoo Mankad" when told of the record
- 319 in Chennai was against the March heat and not just South African bowling,
- 201 and 293 against Sri Lanka were when 10 other batsman coudn't even defend Mendis,
- 83 against England on 4th day turner in chase of 385 just after the nation been in a sombre mood post the Mumbai attacks
- oft forgotten 150 in Adelaide in that infamous 2008 series
The final stretch:
The decline happened as rapidly as he batted. His last Test hundred came a year and a half before he was dropped. His final ODI hundred was at that time the world record. His famous hand eye coordination was in doubt. Yes he did sway in the IPL with some good innings here and there but he knew he wasn't going to make it back. It was said that he made a scintillating hundred hundred for Kings XI against CSK because he had promised his son so. That was the last magnificent knock you'd see from him.
The decline happened as rapidly as he batted. His last Test hundred came a year and a half before he was dropped. His final ODI hundred was at that time the world record. His famous hand eye coordination was in doubt. Yes he did sway in the IPL with some good innings here and there but he knew he wasn't going to make it back. It was said that he made a scintillating hundred hundred for Kings XI against CSK because he had promised his son so. That was the last magnificent knock you'd see from him.
The memory:
People will say that he didn't get the farewell he deserved. And rightly so. But to actually say that is to not know Sehwag. That's just the way he was. He moved to Haryana in Ranji to see if he could bat like himself but he had long stopped being that. "See ball hit ball" is a term used even in the corporate world for uncomplicating solutions. And it comes from watching him bat. Two anecdotes reportedly attributed to him sums up the genial spirit called Sehwag -
1. Shoaib akthar keeps bowling bouncers from around the wicket and sledging sehwag saying "hook markhe dikao". Sehwag tells him "tera baap udhar non-striker's end pe kada hei, usko bol. marke dikayega". Next over Sachin smashes Akthar for a six. Sehwag to Shoaib " baap baap hota hei, beta beta hota hei"
People will say that he didn't get the farewell he deserved. And rightly so. But to actually say that is to not know Sehwag. That's just the way he was. He moved to Haryana in Ranji to see if he could bat like himself but he had long stopped being that. "See ball hit ball" is a term used even in the corporate world for uncomplicating solutions. And it comes from watching him bat. Two anecdotes reportedly attributed to him sums up the genial spirit called Sehwag -
1. Shoaib akthar keeps bowling bouncers from around the wicket and sledging sehwag saying "hook markhe dikao". Sehwag tells him "tera baap udhar non-striker's end pe kada hei, usko bol. marke dikayega". Next over Sachin smashes Akthar for a six. Sehwag to Shoaib " baap baap hota hei, beta beta hota hei"
2. Days before 2011 world cup semifinals against Pakistan. reporters ask Sehwag during practice, "tension hei aapko?" Sehwag nonchalantly retorts " yaar yeh tension lene ka samay nahi hi, tension dene ka"
thank you for the memories viru.
