SEHWACK

I am not an expert on human psychology, politics, reality TV, free markets, terrorism blah blah. The only thing which i know is that all these things become insignificant when Sehwag bats.

This morning i woke to find to my pleasant surprise that Sehwag has just been named the "Batsmen of the Decade" by Britain's Daily Telegraph. Considering the greats playing along with him in his contemporary era it is a big achievement. If you compare him on parameters of audacity and chutzpah then i think none other than Sehwag deserves the accolades. The world has seen many destructive batsmen but to be a destructive opener and consistently slaughtering bowling attacks is not everyones cup of tea. Cricket was considered to be a gentleman's game and anything outside the coaching manual considered sacrilage. Then the world is introduced to a maverick from Najafgarh who does everthing on the cricketing pitch which a coach would never ask you to do. Purists and cricketing pundits all over the world were taken by surprise and criticism poured in from every corner. Now the same purists and critics can't stop showering encomniums on the same person. Consider some of the comments made "impudent but rarely imprudent", "Dashing openers have always been with us but none has managed to do it with the audacity of Sehwag", "He bats as if he has to catch the last plane out of Kabul".

The most funny comment which i read about Sehwag was made by Andy Zaltzman of Cricinfo when he commented that " Sehwag's bats as if he has just eaten a man-eating lion". If in 1950s people thronged to see Sehwag when even 3 runs per over was considered a very good run rate they would surely comment that, " I am not sure what sport he is playing but i am sure as hell that it is not cricket".

Some of the innings vividly etched in the memory are his first triple in Multan. Personally my favorite innings is the 195 which he scored at MCG during the boxing day test match. I still remember that after being hit by Brett Lee in the first over he faced on the helmet he went on to tear apart the bowling attack. To our horror he got out on a fulltoss trying to hit a partimer Katich  for a six. Sehwag without a slightest of grimace walked out to a standing ovation. Given a chance he said he would do it again. He is the only Batsmen after Bradmen to score 290 and above three times and got very close to become the first person to score three triple hundreds and got out on 293. Going through his record one can easily notice that not only does he score hundreds  but scores very big ones and that too at a very good strike rate.

One thing which works in his favour is his hand eye co-ordination. With his feet planted firmly and zero footwork he can wallop the bowler to any corner of the ground. In the interview after his innings in Mumbai against Sri Lanka when asked about how does he do it, he gave a very simple reply "I SEE THE BALL and I TRY and HIT THE BALL". Come again, what did u say, is it so simple . Well then the words are spoken by none other than the maverick himself, "Take a bow".

When Sehwag bats the earth starts rotating in other direction, even the angels and demons stop fighting to see his next blitz.  Join Sehwagology ,he can put even Steven Tyler to shame. Steven Tyler goes for rehab but Sehwag sends people for rehab.