Virus’s Dilemma and the Wall Stands Another Day!

There can be many reasons why people prefer Twenty20 over Test Matches, but the latter still stand as the classic version of the gentleman’s game, and the thrill it evokes and exudes cannot be matched with the more glamorous and compressed version. The white clothing still rules. As we saw in the match at Chennai in the India Vs South Africa match, it was Virender Sehwag’s blitzkrieg that kept the spectators entertained throughout the day. You can’t imagine this in T20. Anyhow, let us stop the comparisons. What one saw at Chennai was just one man’s brilliance that almost changed the course of the match. It was India who gave away the initiative and failed to exert the pressure. I believe had Australia been in India’s position after day three, they would have pressed harder for victory.

Virender Sehwag – The Man who lived yesterday in today

I am not sure if this can be termed as irony. Virender Sehwag, exactly four years ago on March 29, had scored his first triple hundred and also became the first Indian to reach the mark. His second triple hundred (only Bradman and Lara have scored two triple hundreds) came exactly after a year. In between this, he was revered, criticized, honored and dropped. In fact, he spent a better part of 2007 warming the bench and it was only his century in Adelaide that made him a strong contestant for the opener’s slot, irrespective of the fact that Indian selectors have had very few choices for a very critical position.

Anyhow, Sehwag, with this triple hundred has ensured that he will not be dropped for some time to come, unless his form really dips. Also, now he has joined a league of batsmen where he doesn’t have company of any Indian cricketer. He happened to score the fastest triple hundred, scored second fastest double hundred (I doubt if anyone can break Nathan Astle’s record of fastest double hundred, and if anyone can, won’t that be a sight), made the maximum runs in a day in fifty years, became the only Indian to score two triple hundreds. There are few things that records don’t reflect, and that is that way he dominated the South African attack. He was a blend of vicious, calculative and ambitious.

I would also like to throw light on the fact that Sehwag’s last 10 hundreds have been scores of above 150, which shows that when he scores a big one he goes onto score very big ones. As Brad Pitt, portraying Achilles in Troy, said, “I want what other men want. I just want more.”

The Wall gains more height

Rahul Dravid. It is just the name that forms an impression. With 25 hundreds, he has now surpassed the two greatest players of ‘70s and ‘80s – Viv Richards and Greg Chappell. That speaks volumes of the man’s class and his ability to endure and amass. And if that is not enough, he is now a proud member of the 10,000 runs club, where he accompanies Tendulkar, Gavaskar, Border, Lara and Steve Waugh. Dravid’s feat almost went unnoticed and was completely overshadowed by Sehwag’s Blitz.

Dravid again scored a century under the shadows of another big hundred. He is not new to this. He 180 in Kolkata is still not counted because Laxman made an epic 281 there. When Ganguly scored 183 against Sri Lanka in World Cup 2003, Dravid’s 150 was not even noticed. Even if he has not got the glory, he has got the runs, and the man now stands in the league of extraordinary gentleman. Way to go, Dravid and all the best!