Time to kill old demons

The argument against Virender Sehwag has acquired so much merit in the past few weeks that he should have been an automatic ‘discard’ for the third Test against South Africa. The problem for Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell is that Wasim Jaffar has hardly looked the part either, and Gautam Gambhir could have a nervous restart to his international career.

It would be interesting to see who from these three is kept out.

There is nothing enigmatic about Sehwag. He bats as he does, like it or lump it. If he still averages more than 50 in Tests, he must be applauded for being an original. Footwork and technical certitude have never been Sehwag’s strong suits. He has relied on superb eye-hand co-ordination, uncanny judgment of line and length, and a big risk-taking propensity for his remarkable success.

Somewhere, apart from the urge to take risks, his other virtues appear to have deserted him. True, opponents are always likely to detect new vulnerabilities in a compulsive strokeplayer. But Sehwag has kept ahead of the bowlers by sheer inventiveness. In recent months, however, he is getting out in the same fashion too often, and far too often to poor deliveries. To me, that suggests a mind in turmoil.

In the psychological — not the technical — sense, Sehwag’s problem is symptomatic of the Indian top order, which is why Dravid finds himself in a quandary of sorts. True, if the openers are in form, the remaining batsmen can breathe more easily, but this hardly explains the timidity with which the middle-order has fared, especially in the second Test at Durban.

Dravid himself is desperately short of runs, partly through ill-luck. After an uninterrupted spell of success that extends to almost five years, perhaps there can be a case for him experiencing a sort-of lean patch. But in the current scenario, India need his runs and solidity badly.

Tendulkar has got a couple of reasonable scores on tour, but his first innings dismal in Durban was unwarranted, and in the second galling. That’s hardly good for the morale in the dressing room. If the opposition believes that it can get past Tendulkar without great ado, half their battle is won.

Ganguly has oscillated between a plucky knock in the first Test to a puerile one in the second. After the hop-jump-edge-crash routine in Durban, he can expect a barrage of short-pitched deliveries from Ntini and Co at Cape Town. He needs to regiment his nerves and his technique.

Laxman has looked the most secure, yet not at his sublime best. To be fair to him, he has had twin battles on his hands every time he has gone out to bat — hang in there, and also score runs at a decent clip — which is a tough ask when everything else is crumbling around you.

In short, the much-vaunted batting has come a cropper. Indeed, take away Laxman, Sreesanth, Zaheer and Kumble, and the scoreline would have been dismal. The fact that it reads 1-1 now should provide the impetus to go for a win in the third. Killing old demons would be a great way to begin the new year.

But for that to happen, Dravid and Co will have to put mind over matter. Only then will the feet work.