Incredible things happen on the field of cricket. Yesterday something on same line happened. An unbelievable innings of 219. Enough has been written on how this was to be achieved only by him. Enough has also been written about what if he would have stayed there for the entire 50 overs. Though this thought does not amuse me for one bloke called Watson who made 186* in only 26 overs. (poor him for he had already ovehauled the target by then)
What really attarcts me is the shot Sehwag played when he was on 197. A sqaure cut slice just few inches away from the fielder. A miscued shot and he was out. This fearlessness is what counts. This was a fearlessness which made him go after Brett Lee at Melbourne where he attempted his third consecutive 6 and was out at deep at 195 . He made run so fast that Australia could recover from the assault, set match and win. Sometimes this pays and sometimes this does not. But what if Sehwag starts thinking. I would never want him to. If he starts thinking (A jaat) actions would not transpire properly. Leather has to be hunted by merit. He sees it he hits it. The life is simple. For me his contributions is what matters most in test matches for the platform he provides to our formidable middle order (though platform is a wrong word to use as mostly fate of test do gets decided by the time he is out).
Steve Waugh’s Australian team has redifined test cricket , where momentum always overcomes solidity. Where the traditional dichotomy of attack and defence is changed into attack and counter attack. Starting from Hayden, Gibbs , Smith , Gayle or Amla , getting 180 plus is easy in a day. Sehwag tops them all. His runs have come at a pace people would often dream of. 82 runs per hundred runs is quite a handful even in one dayers. In test it is a storm.
There is nothing to take away from contributions of dravid, Sachin, Laxman Ganguly and Kumble. For there contribution has been immense and perhaps his efforts would have meant nothing without them. He would have been same as Chris Gayle sans any support. Or Sachin Tendulkat of pre 1996. When Dravid bats India knows life is normal and there is no need to panick but when Sehwag bats we sit back and notice and we hope we are here to win. We dominate. Dominate to win..
With this twin hundered I expect wonderful things transpire. As the double century did to Tendulkar. He scored heavily after that (though he was scoring consistently before that as well.) Sehwag who admits modeling his cricket on Sachin , would like to follow that. But similarity ends there for it took quite a time for Sachin to cautiously reach his double ton against south africa. Sehwag had wanted him to hit a four or six and get off it. I would love watching sehwag was he has always been. Living on the edge not wary of the fact that edges might hurt him. For how would he walk on swords if he start fearing minor cuts…
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