I have never seen a knock like this for a long, long time. After Viv Richards, I have never seen a batsman demolish a bowler like Virender Sehwag did. This has to be one of the greatest knocks in world cricket.
The greatness of Viru is that he plays his natural game irrespective of the situation, attack and the pitch. Nothing deters him. He makes batting look simple and great. So uncomplicated.
Today he batted as if he was playing a benefit match.
It was an extraordinary effort. I don’t have words to describe it. To put it in perspective, we have scored 400 runs in a day, thanks to Sehwag. That puts the team in a winning position.
At this stage India is in a strong position. If we bat till the end of day’s play on Friday, chances of India winning the Test and the series will be very high.
I have enjoyed the innings so much that I tried even to blow a whistle. I enjoyed it like a spectator and not as the chairman of selection committee. When I met Sehwag, I told him this very thing. I have also advised him to enjoy the moment.
As an attacking opener I know what it takes to play like this. He keeps thing simple and plays all kinds of shots. That is really amazing. I don’t want to compare Viru with any batsman. It is unfair but I have not seen a batsman of his calibre in the world. At this stage, I don’t want to talk about his triple century. I wish him luck.
We should also not forget the effort of Murali Vijay in the Test. I think it is an appreciable effort for him to do so well after getting a chance one year after making his debut. It is not easy to maintain that kind of confidence and step into Gautam Gambhir’s shoes. It is a difficult situation for him. As a standby player for Gambhir, he did extraordinarily well in a tough situation. He did well last year in Nagpur against Australia.
Today he showed to the world that he is a compact player with so much of ability and temperament. Everybody was praising him for his technique, ability and solidity. I think if he continues like this, he has got a bright future. What I like about him most is his ability to rise to the occasion when needed.
You may say that he batted well on the wrong day and hence he is not getting the limelight but his double century partnership with Sehwag has set the tone for India. It is good for us that we have so many talented players and options.
—As told Vijay Tagore
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