With Sehwag, there always is a cat and mouse game being played

by Aakash Chopra You know, a lot of people will tell you that they knew Virender Sehwag was the next big thing. But having played with him and against him in age-level and senior cricket, I’ll tell you there was no such thing. Yes, we did hear about a batsman who could hit the ball a long way, we also heard about a bowler who had a good action. But that was it. And at age-level cricket, there was so many players who do that. Honestly, Sehwag was not even expected to make it to the next level – he was no prodigy. And now, to see him playing his 100th Test is nothing less than stunning. People have often tried to explain Sehwag as a ‘see ball, hit ball’ player. But I really believe that’s a case of trying to over-simplify things. Most people struggle to explain how Sehwag does it – so they go around and say, ‘Sehwag is an instinctive player with superb hand-eye co-ordination.’ [caption id=“attachment_531569” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sehwag isn’t just an instinctive player. Reuters[/caption] But I say that’s a myth. It’s more a case of trying to find a logical explanation to an unexplained natural phenomenon. One of my favourite Sehwag moments came not while we were opening the batting for India but in much more humble surroundings. We were playing for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy against Orissa and were already two wickets down for zero. The pitch was turning square and anything pitched up to the batsman was almost impossible to play. In walked Sehwag and you could feel some tension in the air. He calmly took strike and slog sweeped the first ball for four. It was a wild slog – the kind where you move your left leg out of the way and throw the kitchen sink at the ball. We were already two wickets down and I didn’t want us to lose another wicket, so I walked to him… a bit alarmed and told him to calm down. But he turned to me and very calmly said, ‘I just want to throw the bowler off his rhythm. If I allow him to keep pitching it up, it will be difficult to survive. But this shot will probably make him a little defensive. If he bowls shorter, it will be easier for us to play him.’ Sure enough, the next ball was short and it got the treatment once again. Sehwag intimidates bowlers and he knows it. And he often uses that aura to his advantage. Every cricketer is instinctive and so is Sehwag – but he thinks about his game in a very different way. It isn’t conventional and that’s what makes him so dangerous. You can’t plan for Sehwag – his game doesn’t have any real weaknesses and he understands with the few that he does have, you can just hope to get him out. Batting with Sehwag is probably the easiest task in world cricket. The opposition is so focussed on getting him out that you just need to stay at the wicket and you will score runs easily. And for me, that’s another sign of how much he thinks about his game. He makes bowlers bowl to his strengths and without even noticing, they get drawn into his trap. There is a very small area that you have to bowl in to keep Sehwag quiet, and most bowlers can’t do it. They try – that they do, but rarely do they succeed. To see the kind of runs (8448 runs at 50.89) he has managed to score never ceases to amaze. Having Sehwag at the wicket makes cricket interesting – there always is a cat and mouse game being played. It keeps everyone on their toes – even the watching crowd. And that’s what cricket really needs. Yes, some would prefer (Rahul) Dravid’s straight bat or (Sachin) Tendulkar’s punch down the ground or VVS Laxman’s silky elegance, but most would probably doff their hats to Sehwag as well. They might as well, he’s earned it. (Aakash Chopra has opened the batting with Virender Sehwag for India. They also played for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy) As told to Ashish Magotra