Sunday, October 10, 2010

The beauty of cricket when Sehwag bats

Read this piece.

Some excerpts

If Australia had the plan, Sehwag had the counters. He has done that to Kumar Sangakkara and Graeme Smith again and again over the last year, and was ready to do it to Ricky Ponting too.

What summed up Sehwag was neither an individual shot nor the strike-rate. It was the reaction on the faces of gully, slip and short leg when he upper-cut Mitchell Johnson. Michael Hussey at gully and Simon Katich at short leg were like men who were watching a prey enter the trap. Hussey jumped back expectantly, looking at the third man, only to see it sail over. Katich was sure that that was the wicket, but was left with an "aah" on his face. The prey had not only slipped away, he was creating havoc. Shane Watson at slip, perhaps more perceptive of Sehwag's methods than others, just laughed.

Johnson pitched up later, and Sehwag punched him through the covers. Peter George, the debutant, was then asked to bowl his first over to Sehwag of all the people. Twice in first over he was driven between the non-striker and mid-on. As the noise in the stands became louder and louder, the conferences between captain and bowler lasted longer and longer.

...

The first one was so accurate it got Sehwag in the helmet. A hush fell on the ground. It sounded like a boo, but it like the nasty ones of yesterday. Hilfenhaus would have liked it. Nasser Hussain, one of the more successful captains in India, has spoken about the importance of silencing the indian crowds. It was perhaps that silence that let Hilfenhaus think more clearly.

If this was going to be short, Sehwag was going to pull it in front of square: he was going to be ready deep in the crease. Sure enough the ball was short, but it was the slower bouncer, and Sehwag ended up dragging the pull straight into the lap of the man waiting in the deep. For a moment, only Hilfenhaus could be heard in a stadium holding at least 30,000 people. He deserved to be. He had out-thought the most destructive batsman in cricket today.

 

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