At a felicitation function arranged by Nath Puri in Nottingham in 2004, Geoffrey Boycott asked Virender Sehwag how he could play a risky shot like the six he hit to get to his triple century, and the reply was, ‘I am not afraid of losing my wicket like you were’. To be sure, Geoffrey wasn’t too impressed with that response, but it epitomizes the way Viru approaches his cricket. The best part is that he has the incredible knack of making up for his lack of runs in previous matches by getting big hundreds when he gets going and at the rate at which he gets the runs, he puts his side in a position to dominate the rest of the game. The quality never suffers because of the quantity, and that’s something rare in sport where most big hundreds are seldom fluent and have patches and periods where the batsman has been introspective or watchful or has had a bit of luck. Yes, Sehwag did have his share of good fortune, but who apart from the Windies would grudge him for that, for he has had a rough time in the last few games as well as being fined for being a little overenthusiastic about getting a wicket.
When one watches him bat, there’s a sense of anticipation, for the unexpected is only a ball away when he is at the crease. He makes spectators smile, scream, shake their heads at some audacious attempt to play a shot and of course he makes the spectator stand up and cheer at his or her loudest when he gets to a century or more. With him, one can never be angry but only upset, and that too because he has denied us the entertainment that we feel is ours by getting out early. Not this time, as he went from strength to strength, playing some shots that dare one say it, the original master blaster Viv Richards would be proud to play. He missed joining the rare ranks of those who have got a century before lunch and that too on the first day of a Test match, but he has got a sniff of it and so don’t be surprised if in the near future he will get there.
At the other end, Wasim Jaffer continued the good work by making sure that Sehwag was given as much of the strike and also rotating the strike and ensuring that Sehwag did not lose his rhythm. He will be disappointed with his dismissal because he was looking good for another big score, but his opening partnership made certain that India had got off to a flier unlike in the first Test where they stumbled in the first innings.
Having seen how good the pitch was playing, Rahul Dravid wasn’t going to waste his chance when it came and though not as fluent as Sehwag, the skipper still showed a great range of shots to be on the threshold of another ton in Test cricket. The straight drives that he played were demoralizing for the bowlers, for there’s no bigger insult to a fast bowler than being driven straight back as he is following through after his delivery. Not that the Windies had anybody who was express and to see a West Indian new-ball bowler with a long-off and long-on in the first session of a Test match does indicate the depths to which the West Indian new-ball attack has sunk to.
India are in the driver’s seat now and can dictate the course of the game if they get another 200 or so runs. With Dravid still there, it should not be difficult and if Dhoni bats as he did at Antigua, then those runs will come faster and allow India’s bowlers more time to get the Windies out twice in the game.
