A small step towards cementing his place

FORGET THE comparisons. Virender Sehwag should be deeply embarrassed by the misplaced suggestions that his strokeplay resembles that of Sachin Tendulkar. The Delhi batsman had always wanted to strike the ball hard and the century at Colombo was in keeping with his reputation. It was never an attempt to ape the master from Mumbai.

Let it be widely accepted that Sehwag has just taken a small step towards cementing his place in the side. He was forced to open in the absence of Tendulkar and would have to revert to his slot in the middle order unless the Indian team management decides to push Sehwag in place of Sourav Ganguly at the top.

Sehwag is certainly different. He is rustic and so be it because it helps him concentrate on the game better, helps him keep the pressure away. It gives a boost to the side in terms of invaluable contributions with the bat and ball in times of distress. He is immature no doubt but a fearless cricketer. The sort who would not mind stepping out to the fastest bowler and give him a pasting like a spinner.

``It's not that I can't play pace. I like to attack which is my natural style of batting. I'm as keen as anyone to play Test too for my country,'' said the mild-mannered Sehwag on return from Colombo. He may not yet be the solution to India's batting woes but Sehwag does raise the promise of a young cricketer who can be moulded into an useful all-rounder. ``I'm working hard on my bowling,'' he said. The team management's task will be to make him understand his limitations. It is one thing to dream of batting like Tendulkar but an entirely different proposition once you step on to the field and face an international attack.

Amidst the mediocre stock available with the National selectors, Sehwag happens to be one who can be trusted to improve and serve the team with distinction. It will help the cricketer and also his well-wishers to recognise the fact that consistency will always be a great challenge for him to achieve. With his kind of approach to the game, it would be too much to expect Sehwag to get on top of the bowlers every time or produce match- winning efforts every day. There is no doubt he is a match-winner but then even Sehwag would confess he would rather not be burdened with needless responsibilities so early in his career.

``I love being in the thick of action. I've always developed my batting on aggression and I don't intend to change my style. That doesn't mean I'm weak in defence. Without defence, I don't think it would have been possible for me to get those big scores in domestic cricket,'' said Sehwag.

It is to Sehwag's credit that he happens to be a hard-working cricketer, a fact which was recognised quite early by coach John Wright. ``Mr. Wright has told me to be patient. He's told me to take my own time when batting. Just the way Sachin does,'' remarked the Delhi all- rounder.

In 1996, the year he played the under-19 for his State and also for the country, he was initially ignored at the trials. His coach, Mr. A. N. Sharma, pleaded with the administrators in the Delhi and District Cricket Association but drew a blank. ``It was frustrating,'' recalled Mr. Sharma. And then a dazzling knock in a local tournament final attracted the attention of the State selectors towards Sehwag who progressed to make his Ranji Trophy debut next season. His stints at the Madras Club under the guidance of Mr. Satish Sharma went a long way too in projecting Sehwag as a cricketer with a future.

Sehwag's rise was quite familiar to any other cricketer's entry to the Indian team - coming through the grind. In 1994, he started training at the Government School in `G' Block, Vikaspuri. Mr. Sharma was impressed by the youngster's patience even though this quality has quite deserted Sehwag in most of his international knocks. His desire to play all his shots as quickly as possible has often left him grieving.

Mr. Sharma was the first to spot the talent in the lad and the coach worked very hard with this student with a potential to make it big. Sehwag never missed `nets' and improved rapidly, his dedication making him his coach's favourite pupil. His strong point was his attitude. Sehwag had come to acquire the reputation of a slogger in domestic cricket and he did well to play a few innings where he grafted for runs. ``I owe a lot to Mr. Sharma. He's worked hard on my game and has been a great influence. He's best qualified to assess my game and suggest ways to improve,'' said a grateful Sehwag of his guru.

His innings of 274 against South Zone in a Duleep Trophy match at Agartala was spoken of highly even by the opponents. On another occasion, he slammed a sensational 187 against Punjab on a difficult track at Ludhiana. It was a gem of an innings, peppered with sixes galore, and one that established Sehwag as a batsman worth grooming. It was an innings crafted with the batsman running high fever. ``Those were memorable knocks and the motivation to achieve greater heights. The century against New Zealand will be the platform for me to build upon,'' said Sehwag.

If the National selectors invested in Sehwag, they could not have been faulted. He had the right attributes to develop his batsmanship. His willingness to learn should help him get a place in the team, which is exploring the possibility of Sehwag serving as an all-rounder.

Known as a clean hitter of the ball even though he has not always lived up to that image, Sehwag, at 22, has age on his side. Rated high by seniors like Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, the Delhi cricketer did gain from the backing he received from skipper Sourav Ganguly. ``Sourav has backed me all the way and I'm indebted to him for giving me the confidence to go out and bat in my natural manner,'' Sehwag said.

It is true that Sehwag gives the bowlers a chance with his anxiety to keep playing his shots, but it is also true that once he gets his eye in, the bowlers encounter problems of all kinds. ``He's a brilliant striker of the ball,'' said former Test cricketer Maninder Singh, who was one of the few to back Sehwag in his first domestic season. ``I see Sehwag as a potential Test middle-order batsman,'' added Maninder.

Sehwag is not a complete batsman yet. Given his attacking nature, he is bound to offer chances and perish when looking very good and the team management will have to realise the fact that he can be an asset provided he is backed fully. He has the quality to excel under demanding situations, a fact acknowledged by John Wright too. ``He can play most shots and looks exciting,'' was what Wright said of Sehwag during the tri- series in Zimbabwe.

A compulsive strokeplayer, having practised a lot on matting surface in the `nets' with Mr. Sharma, Sehwag has emerged as a batsman who could be trusted to come good against quality attacks. Having improved his backlift, he needs to tighten his defence against the fast bowlers and his reputation of savaging the spinners has been acquired on the basis of some brilliant efforts in the last two seasons.

Sehwag's critics do have a valid argument when they stress on his failure to clobber spinners at the international level - his soft dismissal off Muttiah Muralitharan in the recent tri-series spoke of Sehwag's poor cricketing sense - and it is this haste to prove a point in the middle is what he needs to guard against. He is good against spinners but he has to prove it at the international level.

A feature of Sehwag's style is his ability to play almost all the shots with authority, his class especially highlighted by the square- drive which he executes with authority. Timing remains his strong point and he must quickly learn to curb his instinct to play uppish shots in order to extend his stay in the middle. His useful off-spin is a quality which strengthens the case for persisting with this exciting cricketer in both versions of the game. It will be a pity if he is branded just as an explosive one-day cricketer.

VIJAY LOKAPALLY

New Delhi

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