This is no pretender. His bat answers the critics and the doubting Thomases.He was looked at by many to succeed Ganguly.Things did not turn that way but there is no reason that Virender Sehwag who has been as crucial to India's test match wins this century just like Anil Kumble was in the last decade of the previous century should not be Kumble's successor.The great troika of Tendulkar,Ganguly and Dravid will no doubt resurrect themselves but for some time now it is clear that Sehwag and Laxman need reinforcements.
Reinforcements or not Sehwag has become to Indian cricket what gavaskar was in the seventies and eighties.He carries the Indian batting on his shoulders.His one day form should not mislead us. He is right up there with Gavaskar and Tendulkar in the pantheon of test batsmen, averages notwithstanding. I hope dravid in the next two or three years proves me wrong by breaking into the league.
The market value of MSD will take a beating no doubt as Sehwag is a twenty overs specialist too and India should develop Parthiv patel in the A B De Villiers mode as a specialist test wicket keeper who can open and bat lower down.However in ODIs Sehwag would remain sporadically successful as the game does not challenge as much as the other two versions.A career with Dehi and India in whites and Delhi Dare Devils in coloured clothes will suit him just fine. ,
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Why just the Gavaskars or the Tendulkars - though the T20 effect would make us believe that even these batters have been useless chaps? I would like to put Mr Sehwag in the same bracket as the Don himself. At least when I have to make that kind of a choice from amongst the modern day test cricketers. One never scores a test match triple hundred by fluke. We have already seen two. I have a gut feeling that we might just get to see at least a couple more.
MSD is a different ball game altogether. With no offence meant to his cricketing abilities, he is very much central to the ongoing lower middle class dream. It would not matter if he wants to sell himself or not. His selling point remains that he provides that feel-good factor that is so central to the lower middle class dream that is being marketed and sold a dime a dozen. A lot of guys have put in a lot of money on him. As part of a larger marketing plot. That is how he would still remain a strong contender. The brighter side of it would though be that test match cricket doesn't sell.
Rahul Dravid was almost in that pantheon for a couple of years. Or may be three. I always contended then that I would grant him the confirmation to the pantheon if he could continue for a couple of years more. Unfortunately that didn't happen. Though it could still.
Yes - oh dear yes - Sehwag and Laxman badly need reinforcement. One just hopes that the reinforcement doesn't come as a graduation from the T20 League. There were plenty of talented batters in that League - or for that matter in the Cricket League - that should have been knowing the value of batting out a day and scoring 200 and a bit rather than trying to score 6 sixers off the 30 deliveries that they would get to face.
I am not so sure about Mr Parthiv Patel. I have still not been able to forgive him for his keeping blunders in that Sydney Test.
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