Does Virender Sehwag have the enthusiasm to reinvent himself for one more shot at international glory? Or will he, content with past achievements, simply choose to fade away from public memory?, says an article in The Times Of India, adding that as the curtain closes on a horror run in the Ranji Trophy for this most unique of openers, the question on everybody's lips is whether Indian cricket has lost Sehwag's services for good.
“If that's the case, it's bad news for Indian cricket in particular and Test cricket in general. It's worth a reminder what a colossus of batting Sehwag actually was. Numbers don't do his impact justice, though they are well-known and carry considerable weight,” says the TOI article, adding that for a bit more than a decade, Sehwag defined all that was joyous in Indian cricket, his merry mincemeat of bowlers the triumphal howl of a fearless modern master.
Sehwag appeared to redefine the rule book and conquer without trying too hard. When the runs dried up, this same approach seemed as inscrutable as his batting technique. Now, this bespectacled 35-year-old's gifts - an amazing hand-eye co-ordination and bat speed which formed the cornerstone of his art - seem to have dwindled as rapidly as they once blossomed, leaving everyone craving for more.
The 2013-14 Ranji season has been a forgettable one for Delhi dasher Virender Sehwag, says a report in Deccan Chronicle, adding that the former India opener opted to bat in the middle-order but failed badly. With only 234 runs from seven games at an average of 19.50, Sehwag, who scored just one fifty in 13 innings, is nowhere close to the top run getters of the season.
According to DC report, former India opener Sunil Gavaskar, who has watched many of Sehwag’s great innings at close quarters feels the senior batsman should start opening the innings again. “I think he is happier with the ball coming on to the bat. If you have opened the batting for such a long time, it is a little bit difficult waiting in the dressing room, waiting for your turn to go to bat. The best move for him would be to go back to opening. The new ball will come on to the bat; he can try and score off it,” Gavaskar said here on Wednesday.
The Little Master felt Yuvraj Singh, star of India’s 2011 World Cup triumph too can stage a comeback provided he works hard. “In cricket, nothing is impossible. You have one good season, one outstanding season and you can comeback. It is up to Yuvraj to show that he has got the burning desire for it. I think he has that in him.”
According to Mid-Day, from wearing contact lenses to batting in the middle order, Sehwag has virtually tried every solution to get back to form, but to no avail.
Gavaskar wants Sehwag to get back to his opening position. “I think he is more happy with the ball coming on to the bat. If you have opened the batting for such a long time, it is a little bit difficult waiting in the dressing room, waiting for your turn to go to bat. The best move for him would be to go back to opening the batting,” the former India opener said. On Yuvraj Singh’s woeful form, he said: “In cricket, nothing is impossible.
You have one good season, you can come back. It is up to Yuvraj to show that he has got the burning desire. I think he has. For Sehwag too, nothing is impossible in cricket.”
