How do you spice up a boring test match played in sweltering Mumbai heat on an unforgiving pitch and a quick outfield? Unleash Sehwag. For the opposition captain, he is simultaneously the source of greatest joy if he gets out cheaply and the worst nightmare when he gets going. Trailing by 393 runs Sehwag set about doing his business the way most opponents dread. He had evidently tightened his approach after the chances he provided in the previous tests. A more cautious approach, a straight bat and a slightly open stance while facing the left arm seamer Welegedara were all noticeable. Caution and risk are of course open to interpretation of the person exercising them. At the end of 8 overs Sehwag had scored 15 runs at a rate of 50. He had answered his critics. He would not be blamed now for getting out to a “rash” shot so early. Sangakkara gambled by bringing in the vastly underrated left arm spin of Herath. Herath is a bowler who had to remain in the shadows of his more beguiled and illustrious mates Murali and Mendis. But he is a seasoned bowler who works batsmen over time instead of confounding them with magic deliveries. Sehwag’s mad-max approach to batting clouds a shrewd cricketing acumen and he was not going to allow Hearth to settle into a game plan. He watched the first ball from Herath reach the keeper’s glove. He had had enough. The next ball was promptly deposited over long on. The bowler who comes in thinking what to bowl to Sehwag starts thinking what is Sehwag going to do to me. Captains start imagining which direction the next ball might disappear. Fielders begin to wonder if they are redundant. This is when Sehwag starts to toy with the opposition. He waits for the captain to set the field, eyes it once and has already picked his areas and shots to score. At this point it is almost unfair to the bowlers who do not have the luxury of freezing time midway when the ball is delivered and then change the field so that the batsman has no idea what the field is. After dealing with Herath, Sehwag set about dismantling every other Lankan bowler and shredding whatever was remaining of Sangakkara’s plans. Murali, who is well past his prime, was chosen for special treatment. This does not belittle Murali’s skills but just that Sehwag decided to switch gears to counter a world class bowler. Sometimes when Sehwag gets bored he sets about blocking all the deliveries in an over. I have a feeling he does that either because he is tired or he feels those were some of the shots he had not had an opportunity to play till then. What resulted from all of this was the fastest ever 250 and an eventual score of 293. When he got out India were 58 ahead and almost 3 days of cricket were left. Plaudits have been pouring in for Sehwag’s marauding 293. His scant regard for the pitch, bowlers and anything else that is out of his sphere of influence is being spoken about as his best traits. But all this pales in comparison to the most profound impact he creates - The ability to break open the game and move it along the course he intends to take.
As I write this on the eve of the 5th day of the test, India stands 4 wickets away from victory. For all the talk about the sporting nature of the pitch this might well have been another of those mundane run fests ending in a draw. Dilshan was robbed of his wicket twice (Harper likes to punish guys who do not offer shots). Dhoni scored an unbeaten century, just his third. Angelo Mathews almost scored his first one too. There is no doubt though that the result of this match has been compellingly decided by Sehwag and once his knock was complete, normalcy was restored and what remain in this match are mere formalities.
