Virender Sehwag

[Spikey]

Q) Do you think India would have played better had the majority of their players used Kookaburra bats?

there lies the solution to sehwag's problems

 

[Contra]

Quite frankly I don't look much into the 4 odd innings he played in England, he shouldn't have been there to begin with, India just panicked because they were losing so they got him in earlier than they would have liked.

As far as the Australia tour is concerned I think he did have some issues, I think most of his dismissals were leading edges where he was trying to flick it on the on side only to have the ball balloon up in the air. I'm not entirely sure what is causing that but he needs to get that fixed.

I also feel he needs to slow down scoring wise on overseas tests, I think his reputation had gotten so big towards the end of 2010 with the kind of strike rates he was scoring at that he feels he can go at the same SR anywhere (or maybe compelled to go at that rate), which is obviously not possible.

And finally I think he needs to stop throwing away starts! I know its been said a million times but it's still ****ing annoying when he's gotten to some 20 or 30 runs only to play some dumb shot and get out. He was guilty of that in SA 2010 and to some extent also in Australia recently. And now he's started throwing away starts on Indian pitches as well (missed out against WI and NZ at home recently).

I'm desperately hoping for some fireworks in the 2 upcoming series though.

 

[Spark]

Nah, his dismissals were either genuine nicks to slip or slapping the ball to point at head height. Only got leading edges at Adelaide (off full tosses, too...)

 

[uvelocity]

You jelly that you don't have a substantial body of work behind you boi?

who could forget WAGs or Witches? « Spreading the Ashes

#cwlife

 

[Uppercut]

It's all interlinked but I think it was coming up against a lot of bowlers that could swing the ball away from him that exposed his technique. His absolute refusal to leave Steyn, Anderson or Hilfenhaus alone outside off stump was never exactly a recipe for success.

 

[Senile Sentry]

England beware. He is hightime due for a big one.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

He may well be SS, or alternatively he may have gone. Time will tell I guess.

 

[honestbharani]

I think Viru is unfortunately done as a player... I just don't think we will ever see the guy who was dropped, went back, got fitter (he will never be the fittest but he got to near international class fitness at least), worked on his weakness (he was playing the leg side strokes so well), maximised his own scoring zones as well as included new ones to become even better as a batsman without compromising on his style and IT factor (scoring quickly)..


One thing he often does in tests is take a lot of singles and twos, especially initially, and this was all the more telling in his post 2007 avatar.. But today I just see a lazy, technically fragile, unfit batsman who just wants to play off his talent and little else. I am sorry, and I wish I am wrong, but I do think it is time for India to start planning for cricket without Sehwag, Tendulkar and Zaheer.

 

[Woodster]

I think it's a mix of a number of things mentioned. There may be some slight deterioration there, but 34 isn't that old (though he does look appreciably older than that!) but he has been exploited by any movement through the air or off the deck, and so conditions I think are paramount to his success. I expect him to play some significant innings' in this series back on the pitches he is familiar with and his technique compliments very nicely.

 

[honestbharani]

To be completely honest, he has got runs in swinging conditions in the past and as recently as in RSA in 2010, he was getting starts, same in NZ in 2009.. I just think he has lost a lot of discipline and concentration and that has resulted in his form, fitness and his own technique ( as original as it was) going down the drain..

 

[smash84]

To be completely honest, he has got runs in swinging conditions in the past and as recently as in RSA in 2010, he was getting starts, same in NZ in 2009.. I just think he has lost a lot of discipline and concentration and that has resulted in his form, fitness and his own technique ( as original as it was) going down the drain..

I think I would agree with this analysis

 

[Jono]

Doesn't have to just be one reason.

Mix of age, fitness, technique and being a ****y **** have all played a role in his decline.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Well if he can't score runs on this pitch today he may as well give up.

 

[ankitj]

+1 this. It appears that his own focus and commitment has taken a dip in last couple of years.

EDIT: +1 HB's post I mean.

 

[Satyanash89]

Pretty much a flawless fifty

 

[Teja.]

Looks like my best Indian batsman - 1st Innings bet at 4.5 for Sehwag is going to pay off.

Looking as comfortable and non-desperate as a batsman be.

 

[smash84]

the pitch is pretty ****e as well

 

[Woodster]

To be completely honest, he has got runs in swinging conditions in the past and as recently as in RSA in 2010, he was getting starts, same in NZ in 2009.. I just think he has lost a lot of discipline and concentration and that has resulted in his form, fitness and his own technique ( as original as it was) going down the drain..

He is a good enough player to have success at times in conditions he is not entirely comfortable with. He has played enough cricket to score runs on occasions when it is swinging around or seaming about a bit, but his record in England where he averages 27.80, South Africa 25.47, and New Zealand 20.00 suggest he generally finds the going much more difficult, and that isn't surprising with the way he plays. He has had success in Australia to his credit where there's more bounce around, but his record is so impeccable because once he is in in his own comfortable conditions, he cashes in.

 

[Howe_zat]

Christ Teja you're a ****.

this is worse than that Jos Buttler thread

 

[honestbharani]

He is a good enough player to have success at times in conditions he is not entirely comfortable with. He has played enough cricket to score runs on occasions when it is swinging around or seaming about a bit, but his record in England where he averages 27.80, South Africa 25.47, and New Zealand 20.00 suggest he generally finds the going much more difficult, and that isn't surprising with the way he plays. He has had success in Australia to his credit where there's more bounce around, but his record is so impeccable because once he is in in his own comfortable conditions, he cashes in.

Well.. I m guessing the story behind those numbers would be more telling than just the numbers itself but I am not in the mood for statistic based debates.. I agree with your analysis to an extent, that he is obviously much more comfortable in these conditions than in those conditions but I do think he has become a worse player abroad than he was as recently as 3 or 4 years ago due to a lot of laziness and indiscipline than anything else.


His innings yesterday for instance, it was clear he still has the same issues in terms of footwork and fitness (compared to his pomp) but at least his mind was in a better state and he seemed to be thinking with more clarity and that helped him get those runs.