Virender Sehwag is unique. His brand of batting is unparalleled in Test Match Cricket and there probably never has been one like him in the modern game.
When Sehwag was promoted up to open the innings at Lord's in 2002, it was damned as a move bound to fail. After all, so many middle-order Indian batsmen had failed as openers, Laxman being the most striking example. As it turned out, it was one of Ganguly's most brilliant moves as captain (a rare occurence these days). Greats like Geoffrey Boycott said that Veeru had no footwork and no brain; although they had to admit that he had an amazing skill and brilliant hand-eye co-ordination.
The "brainless and techniqueless" Sehwag averages almost 54 after 28 Tests scoring 8 hundreds. Numbers that would rank alongwith the best, if not the best. Nobody, not even Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid had similar statistics at this stage of their career. But what is amazing is that he has a strike rate of 70+ -- the kind of rate most players would be happy with in a limited-overs game !!! And most of those runs have come through beautiful punches through covers, superb straight drives and fantastic flicks through mid-wicket. After all, not for nothing was he called the next Tendulkar at the start of his career. Today, thankfully there is no such comparison - he is now an original superstar and an icon for millions.
He is as different to the original Little Master, Sunil Gavaskar, as chalk is from cheese. Yet the two share several common things - favorite cold-drinks, staure (in physique at least) - and he might well go on to be one of India's greatest openers along with Sunny.
All The Best To Veeru and hope he keeps lighting up the dullest of matches with his strokeplay
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1 comment:
can't agree with you more! He is such a wonderful player...he knows only one way to play cricket..his own! always a treat to watch, whether its a test match or a one dayer...hope he keeps up the charisma.
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