Let’s get this out of the way early.
Viru was an absolute star. That guy who dragged people through the turnstiles.
To him, every ball was a bad ball.
He swung harder than a Canadian lumberjack. He had more power than Vladimir Putin. Chuck Norris wouldn’t have wanted to bowl to him. Boundary ropes jumped out of the way of his shots, they were hit that hard.
He has now decided to retire on his terms. Well, kind of.
International scorecards haven’t seen his name in ink since early 2013.
The truth is that he was already retired. But who doesn’t want to make an announcement so that flowery articles and tribute videos can be made about you?
I’m planning my retirement from cricket writing as we speak. Have your pen ready Gideon Haigh.
One way to judge the relative merits of a cricketer is the impact they had on how the sport is played.
In this sense, Sehwag is ahead of Sachin, Lara and Ponting.
He is more Gilchrist or Warne.
For these guys redefined their roles.
Take Gilchrist.
Yes, we had seen wicket keeper batsman previously, but none who averaged 50 in Test match cricket or had the ability to turn a match in an hour at the crease. He could catch the ball too. Standing up to Shane Warne couldn’t have been the easiest thing in the world.
Because of Gilchrist, we got Dhoni and McCullum.
We thought Gilly was revolution. At the time he was. However, history now shows him to be simply evolution. That water creature that walked on land and lost its gills.
Virender is the same. In the Test arena, he took what Chris Gayle took from Michael Slater who took from Greenidge and Haynes.
He scored faster. He played shots earlier. He took risks. He swung. Hard. Really hard.
Today’s beneficiary is David Warner. I hope he’s sent Sehwag a thank you text.
Cricket is now more than comfortable with the up and down nature of the Kaboom kid. Without Sehwag, perhaps we wouldn’t be?
But it wasn’t just the Test arena where Viru represented evolution.
The ODI game first saw attacking openers on a consistent basis at the 1996 World Cup. Those tiny Sri Lankans daring to make more than 60 from the first 15 overs. They wanted 90 and they went after it.
Sehwag benefited from that. Dilshan as well. Today, those winners are de Kock, McCullum and Finch.
Without guys like Sehwag demonstrating what flair with the bat really meant, T20 may not have been born.
The Netherlands would never have had the chance to defeat England in a World Cup match. The IPL wouldn’t have kicked started the global phenomenon of the renegade short form player. TV revenues wouldn’t be up. Sliced bread wouldn’t have been invented. We would all still be riding horses to work. That Crazy Frog ringtone would simply be an idea in some Swedish guys head.
Viru was evolution. A crucial step. A bridge.
Who will be the next link in the evolutionary batting chain?
Glenn Maxwell? Perhaps AB de Villiers is already it?
It doesn’t really matter.
Cricket will continue to ebb and morph.
People like Sehwag are the reason why.
Reproduced at First PostFollow @denniscricket_
DennisCricket_ Well written Dennis, touch of class & a Dennis flavor to it U0001f44fU0001f44d
He is indeed a Modern Era’s chutia.. Others have done well as compare to him, its just fu*king media which highlight it more than it deserves, he was just an average player, most scores on dead pitches or records made in India on pitches made by Indians according to Indian team’s need and local rules and support of shiv sena etc etc, comparing him to viv Richards is a disrespect to Vivi..
RajaSK3 Thank you
DennisCricket_ Really,because of Gilly,we got McCullum??
AsisPdl07 Yep. Gilly paved the way for that type of keeper / batsman
DennisCricket_ Warner thanked Sehwag a long time ago. http://m.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/sehwag-talk-convinced-warner-of-test-push-20111128-1o3br.html 😛
billydan Maadarchod katve gandi naali ke kide, Viru had same Test average as Richards but his strike rate was higher by 20. Viv used to come at 4th/5th position when Windies’ legendary openers already used to take the shine of the new ball. Whereas Sehwag was an opener. But he still maintained average of 50 & strike rate of above 80 – for over 100 Tests! He changed the approach toward Test batting. And the way he thrashed legendary spinners on square-turners is beyond any batsman to emulate.