For a whole minute, I thought Virendra Sehwag did not thank Sachin for his double hundred. Then I read the words which went something like..."When Sammy dropped me, I knew God must be with me"....So folks all is well.
It has always been Sehwag as a Test batsman that we have talked up more, here on this blog because Sehwag has never displayed any true appetite for and consistency in, his one day career. Very early in his career he burdened himself by candidly (amongst his team - according to John Wright's Indian Summers) talking about scoring a 200 in an ODI game but the LOI game was too complicated for him, it seemed to us. His LOI numbers are very oridinary compared to the devastation he has displayed in Tests; a handful of monstorous ODI and T20 knocks notwithstanding.
Perhaps, just perhaps... now that he has scaled the 200 mark, he will be a changed LOI player. With this innings of 219, in his mind he now has lived up to his own expectations. Without the worry of proving something to himself, he might just have turned a corner and resurrected his LOI game. Who knows...may be its just a childish, naive wish.
And while we are in the mood for wishes, the one record that will truly do justice to this man's image, his legacy, and his truly beautiful, simple and uncluttered bastmanship is the record that is now Brian Lara's. The highest individual Test score. Amongst the candidates most likely to beat 400 not out, Virendra Sehwag is a front runner.
And if that innings too comes against the West Indians in the Carribean, who knows we might have a calypso version of "Why this Kolaveri Da...."
4 comments:
The reason that Sehwag never truly shined in ODIs is because he pushes himself too hard. He plays tests at a breathtaking strike rate and so I think in his own mind he feels that he needs to step it up a notch in the shorter format. In T20s he goes at it even harder but in the span of 20 overs - a quickfire 35-40 from an opener is more valuable than in ODIs. That's where he comes unstuck when playing 50 overs.
Lately, he 'matured' (if that's the right word) enough to pace himself. He seems to have realized that even in ODIs run-a-ball or a little more that is not too shabby and that he can build on it over the course of the innings. If he keeps showing this new found insight into ODI batting I think he'll finally set right his ODI career and come up with more substantial knocks in the future and be more of a match-winner in ODIs too.
And to add to that - as much as this blog wants him out of the team, I think Sachin will stick around for a little bit longer and will most probably play in the ODIs down-under.
Our openers' cumulative highest scores will then be 419 !! While sympathizing with the bowlers, my dream would be to watch both these two carry their bat or at least stick around together till the 45th over or so..!
Sashank -
We don't want Sachin kicked out, we want him to do the right thing. We have as much deference and respect for him as anyone else.
On Sehwag, I think you may have nailed it. He may have been pushing himself too hard. His comments yesterday that only a 30+ person can score 200 in ODIs is revealing. I shudder to think what's in store for Australia later this season.
Shashank, I do think SRT will play the ODIs in Australia but only if we win the Test series (which is not a given)
In a strange way the seniors will have to keep earning their right to keep on playing. A respectable loss like in 2008 or an honorable draw like in SA 2011 isn't going to cut it any more
On Sehwag, we all truly hope this innings is a springboard for greater things..
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