It was pathetic watching the guy being interviewed same time last year. His face had the look of a haunted human being. I was all for the guy notwithstanding his poor run of form. Any one who could wield the cricket bat like him needs to be accommodated in a side. The selectors thought other wise and the poor man was dropped.
If it was not for Kumble and to a lesser extant Dravid he would still be cooling his heels in his home town. His re entry was not very noteworthy. He was struggling for some time before he started to find big runs. Now he is back in his grove. I could not watch him play at Madras, but bearing the killing heat in mind, he must have played like a real champion.
The guy is also useful as a team man. Does a little bit of thinking on the sides and comes up with good suggestions for the teams cause. A striking example is the manner in which he insisted in giving one more over to the tiring Ishant Sharma the young and up coming fast bowler against Ricky Ponting the Australian bat and their captain. The ploy worked and Ponting bowed out to the spirited Indian bowler. That turned the table on the Aussies and made an impossible win possible for the Indians.
You do not drop such a destructive batsman from the side. I saw his 2004 innings on TV , his first Triple Century. It was lethal. The Pak bowlers and fielders stood watching while the man brutally mauled them. It was not all power. He is not a Chris cairns or Mat Hyden. He is a touch player really with a penchant for taking the attack to the bowlers. When this man is on song there is nothing better to watch in cricket. He may not be the “copy book” style of batsman. But he is exiting, as Geoff Boycot himself would vouch safe.
Incidentally the Boycot is a great fan of the man.
Kudos Sehwag. Hope you come up with many such innings.
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