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Sehwag's style resembles Bradman
Today Virender Sehwag must come close to resembling a modern day genius because of his unerring and unnerving ability like Sir Donald Bradman, writes Bob Woolmer.
Sir Donald Bradman must have been a genius. He averaged 99.4 in Test cricket and by all accounts decimated attacks showing them no mercy. Today Virender Sehwag must come close to resembling a modern day genius because of his unerring and unnerving ability like Sir Donald to manhandle attacks and make Test match bowlers look like pop gun attacks.
For me, he has redefined how an opening batsman can approach an innings. His performances in this recent series have been quite phenomenal, we helped him at Mohali by dropping him early on, but then that is the game, and it is not Sehwag's fault if the opposition would not accept chances.
He is effortless, with sublime timing, he is destructive, often able to score over 10 in an over, he puts the bowlers under severe pressure often until they crack. He hits sixes as though the ground is only the size of a postage stamp. He gave us grey hairs trying to find ways to dismiss him!
I would often sit in front of the computer with Sehwag's innings on the biomechanics screen searching for the weakness, looking for the line and the length that would give him most difficulty.
In the end we settled for a short ball targeted into his chest, while this stunted his run scoring we did not get him out this way.
Early on in his innings his strength is his weakness, the short ball swinging away but on a tight line to the off stump might induce a nick to the slip cordon, if he tries to hit it harder it often flies over the slip cordon or if you are lucky he drags the ball off the inside edge onto the stumps. They are not conclusive ways of bowling to him, however.
We were able to run him out occasionally and at times he gets careless, we did not see much of that in this series unfortunately.
What makes him so good? He follows the most important basic principle of batting; he is still when the ball is released and is therefore able to judge length early and then make the shot timorously without flaw. His balance when he hits the ball is a joy for any coach to study as he transfers his weight perfectly, makes contact with an ability to hit the ball extremely hard but look as though he is just caressing it. It is the wonderful gift of timing, pure timing, that makes him so dangerous.
