Feb. 10: There aren’t too many ways to describe Virender Sehwag at the crease. Brutal, thunderous, uninhibited are a few adjectives that come easily to the mind. Surprisingly, for a player with his mental approach to batting, the returns have been a few notches better in Test cricket where the margin of error for a batsman is minimal than they have been in limited overs cricket. The destructive opener will hold more trumps for India than any other player with his uninhibited hitting and close to orthodox off-spin.
A clinical timer who has discovered the science behind one-day batting rather late, Sehwag will be one of the players to watch in the ensuing World Cup. To his legion of fans who will know by now, if Sehwag gets going, there will be very few bathroom breaks.
Strengths
Never wary of the big stage: When he is full cry the opposition is a mere convenience. The situation rarely matters as he goes about his job, paying scant respect to bowlers irrespective of what his colleagues are doing at the other end.
Sehwag did not enjoy the best of runs in 2003 when the team did well, but redeemed himself with a free-flowing innings in the final.
Will be eager to erase the poor memories of 2007 where he hammered a hapless Bermuda for a ton but little else? The stage is set for Sehwag and the World Cup, possibly his last, could prove to be his biggest adrenaline pump.
Ability to turn games in few overs: He hardly plays by the manual. There has been a marked tightness to his defence but Sehwag still believes the best way out of a crunch situation is to attack. India’s best bet against stronger opponents and tall chases will be Sehwag.
Weaknesses
His strengths are his weaknesses: Sehwag has two strokes to offer for every ball but he often gets out trying to play a third. Sometimes even three boundaries is not enough to sate this ever positive cricketer. For an opener who strikes at 103.27 per 100 balls, a little curbing of the strokeplay will do no harm. hot selection is not Sehwag’s forte. Does not believe in Plan B.
Out of touch with format: Sehwag last played in an ODI for India in August 2010. Missing the last three series before the World Cup is not ideal preparation. His injury count has also doubled over the last season. It will be a tightrope walk for the vice-captain.