Virender Sehwag: The launchpad of Indian cricket

Virender Sehwag – The man who never backed-off from dominating bowlers

“Sometimes, it’s easy to analyse Rahul Dravid or Sachin Tendulkar’s batting, and find out where they go wrong, but when it came to Virender Sehwag the only thing we can do is sit back and enjoy.”

There were many great cricketers in the past, who were worried about an edge of the previous delivery that went for a four, or were worried about getting beaten couple of times in an innings. In the process, they would have forgotten to stay in the present and would have been dismissed the very next delivery.

But when it came to Virender Sehwag, things were completely different. Focus on the present and not to be worried about the past.

With Sehwag, it was all about staying in the particular moment, which is a fantastic character to have for any sportsmen. When you were not too worried about what would happen next or, not thinking about what the bowler had done to intimidate you, it would definitely help you to perform better on that particular day and dominate the situation.

He may have been batting on 99, 149, or 199, it didn’t matter to him. He would have hit the previous delivery for a boundary, it didn’t matter to him. He might have nicked through slips for a four, it didn’t matter to him. For Virender Sehwag, it was all about staying at present, and playing the ball on its merit.

That is why, Sehwag was able to be successful in all the formats of the game. He never used to get nervous while batting in the 90s, but he used to make the bowler nervous as he had a habit of reaching a milestone with a six. He was that kind of player and never backed off from dominating the bowler.

Also, not many batsmen in the world would try and demoralise the bowler by trying to dominate them up front. They would be cautious in playing the new ball, tiring the bowler out and then they would take on the attack to the bowler.

But Virender Sehwag was probably one of the few players, who could demoralise the bowler by hitting the first ball of the innings for a boundary. Be it, Dale Steyn, Brett Lee or even Lasith Malinga, it didn’t matter to him.

When Sehwag hit the first ball off the innings for a boundary, it certainly had an impact on the bowlers’ rhythm, and thus, Sehwag, on many occasions, laid down a solid foundation for India.

With limited footwork and technique, Sehwag had a fantastic Test career

He was destructive not only in one-day cricket but was also equally an incredible Test player. With limited footwork and technique, he had scored runs in all conditions and on different wickets as well, which makes him the most special player to have played for India.

His debut Test hundred in South Africa under difficult conditions, a splendid 195 at Melbourne on a lively surface, a 293 at Mumbai against Sri Lanka, and a 201 at Galle, spoke volumes of his ability to play fearlessly irrespective of the opposition.

His 293 at Mumbai was a special knock as it helped India in becoming the No.1 ranked Test side by defeating Sri Lanka by an innings and 24 runs.

This unique approach from Sehwag left the opposite team’s captain puzzled as Sehwag did not follow the traditional way of cricket. His approach always forced the opposite captains to go into defensive mode quickly into the match, which gave enough room for middle order batsman to play their natural game.

His aggressive approach at the top gave India chances to pull off a victory from the jaws of a draw in the longer format of the game, and one such victory came at Mumbai against Sri Lanka in 2009.

Sri Lanka scored 393 in the first innings, but nobody expected India to score 726 runs in the first innings as India took a lead of 323 runs, courtesy Sehwag’s 293. It’s not pure luck that India’s best time in Test matches coincided with Virender Sehwag’s top form.

Another aspect where Sehwag’s aggressive approach came in handy was in the first innings of a Test match. In Test matches, if you are batting first, it’s important to score 300 runs on the first day to push the opponents on to the back foot.

With Sehwag at the top, India found it relatively easy to push opponents on to the backfoot on the first day itself. It happened not only at home but in overseas conditions too.

Sehwag was a vital cog to India’s success in Test cricket. His innings at Multan in 2004, and 195 at Melbourne clearly showed his capability.

It’s going to be difficult for the present team to deal with the absence of Sehwag, but the kind of impact he had for India will always remain in the heart of every Indian fan.

To conclude, as MS Dhoni tweeted “I have not seen Viv Richards, but I have seen Virender Sehwag tearing apart the best bowling attack in the world.”