Inimitable Sehwag And The Inevitable Runs

Inimitable Sehwag And The Inevitable Runs

Sehwag was not what a cricket connoisseur prescribed, he was what a crazy fan imagined. He did not change his game as per the format. No adaptation issues for him. He played the same way, irrespective of formats and conditions. If the ball was in his zone, he went for it; if it was not, he still went for it. His test match strike rate of 82 plus sustained over 100 tests at an average of almost 50 is mind-blowing.

The purpose of the bat is to score runs and that of the ball is to get hit. No one other than Virender Sehwag perhaps ever had such an uncomplicated view of the game of cricket. While opening batsmen traditionally were fed with the viewpoint that they had to take the shine off the new ball so that they were better placed to score runs and set up the game for batters to follow, Sehwag believed in taking the seam off. Give the first hour to the bowlers and the remaining are yours is what the world's greatest opening batsman Sunil Gavaskar said, but Sehwag simply reversed the rules and took the match away from the opposition in the first hour itself. If the ball was in his zone, he went for it; if it was not, he still went for it. He was the anti-thesis of Gavaskar, yet is counted as a co-great.

Opening batsmen before Sehwag became one were taught to defend well and rotate the strike. They were conditioned to play long innings and score a century over a day's play. Sehwag however believed in hitting the highway the moment he arrived at the crease. If he batted through the day in a test match, a double hundred was on cards. Against Sri Lanka in a test match in Mumbai (2009), he scored 284 runs in a day and missed out the next day to become the only batsman to score three triple hundreds in tests.

The philosophy of when you see the ball, hit the ball helped India beat Sri Lanka in a test match on their soil in 2008 only because while other batsmen succumbed to the magic of Ajanta Mendis in that series, Sehwag took him on to score a famous double century. He carried his bat through the innings, only the second one to do after the great Gavaskar. It is incredible that such a `high risk` batsman carried his bat while the `safer, technically sound` players found the Sri Lankan attack too hot to handle. While traditionally opening batsmen were trained to build an innings and set up a game, Sehwag set the game up upfront for his team with a blistering positive approach. If he scored, India were well and truly on the way. If he did not, there were always the greats like Dravid, Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Ganguly to follow. It is incredible that a middle order batsman asked to open the innings by his captain Saurav Ganguly for the first time in England in 2002 went on to become one of world cricket's most celebrated opening batsmen.

Sehwag inspired cricketers as well as cricket writers. One of the world's greatest cricket writers the late Peter Roebuck described Sehwag as `impudent but rarely imprudent`. Former England cricketer Dereck Pringle described Sehwag as somebody who bats as if needing to catch the last plane out of Kabul. Harsha Bhogle quotes John Wright as saying "Sehwag didn't redefine his game because of his batting position. He redefined the position with his batting."

The uncomplicated nature of Sehwag's mindset can be gauged from the fact that he looked at the ball, not at the bowler's reputation. None of the traditional orientation typically dished out to openers – watch the ball carefully, settle down, defend well, build an innings, respect the bowler's reputation. Viru simply came, saw and attacked. He did not take pressure, he put the pressure on the bowlers.

Sehwag losing his place in the Test side and subsequent retirement has robbed world cricket of a batsman who was both audacious and skillful. He was a wonder of sorts as pundits of the game would not have imagined a player with such less footwork and abhorrence for technique going on to become the Wisden Cricketer Of The Year for two consecutive years in 2008 and 2009 purely on his achievements as an opening batsman. Sehwag simply backed himself and his abilities. He had a technique of his own. He lived by the willow and preferred to fall aside by the willow. Till the end of his career, barring perhaps a pretentious attempt, he did not really reinvent himself. If he had, that would not have been Sehwag. While at the crease, he kept you on the edge of your seat. The moment he got out, you took a deep breath to extend your lifespan, at the same time feeling a void as the other batsmen would now bring you down to reality. Sehwag in full flow made you incorrectly believe run-making was as simple as gulping down a glass of water. As he walked back to the pavilion after yet another blitzkreig, the new batsman had the unenvious task of exposing his mortality as a batsman.

Sehwag was not what a cricket connoisseur prescribed, he was what a crazy fan imagined. He did not change his game as per the format. No adaptation issues for him. He played the same way, irrespective of formats and conditions. His test match strike rate of 82 plus sustained over 100 tests at an average of almost 50 is mind-blowing.

He was a true great of the game and the tributes that immediately followed his retirement announcement were testimony to the inspiration he provided to critics, experts, fans and cricketers alike. Here's saluting India's greatest match winner ever. Virender Sehwag, you will be missed in the battle between bat and ball which, at your peak, you won it easily and formidably.