Care for a test match ?

By Adwait at 9 December, 2009, 11:12 pm

With the coming of an even shorter version of the game, the entertaining T20 there were bets and challenges among the youth (me being one) of how long the test format of the game would stay until being completely washed out by the fast pace of the IPL and the T20 World Cup. But after watching Mr. Sehwag bat the other day, I was in doubt.

What I witnessed on television the other day was beautiful. Not magnificent in the way when Sachin hits a straight drive or when Bekham curls one into the top right corner beating the wall and the keeper, but it was something you dream about when you’re a kid. Playing cricket, wearing an Indian jersey and going out in the blazing sun, out to the middle of the pitch and just hitting the ball sweetly, not caring about antyhting except getting runs on the board and making sure that your counrty has not the slightest of chance of being on the losing side.

Sehwag’s innings was from start to end, entertaining. The man has never failed to do justice to us viewers. He is a natural opener and does his job with ease, well thats how it looks on television!

Virender Sehwag is an interesting cricketer. He made his ODI debut in ‘99 against Pakistan and has played 211 matches for India since. His batting average is not great at 33.98 but it’s the srike rate that cathes the eye. After playing more than 200 matches Sehwag has maintained a strike-rate of 102.09. That according to me is way above average. Scoring at such a high strike-rate consistently in every innings is something an opener should be proud of. There is though one surprising fact. Sehwag has only 11 hundreds and his highest score is only 130! (Considering the mammoth scores he gets in the test format). Speaking of the test format, here is where Sehwag is just bludgering. After playing 72 matches he has a solid average of 52.50 and at a test strike rate of 80.43, which I think should be the world’s best, for an opener in tests. He has 6 double centuries and 2 triple centuries to his name in the format, which are enough proof of his capabilites as a test player. So when he was seven runs away from getting into the record books for the only player to have scored three triple centuries, I thought he would, but he didn’t. But still I wasn’t disapointed, because I know, he’s capable and the third one would surely be on its way soon. Not only does he bat, Sehwag also chips in as a handy off-spinner who can bowl a couple of overs for the side whenever asked for.

So just as we thought test cricket was fading away, there came Sehwag with his bat and created the magic we’ve always wanted to see. So it looks like as long as Sehwag is batting the way he is now, there’s no worry, test cricket will remain in safe hands.

Adwait is a first year law student at Pune Law College.

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Categories : Sports