Thursday, March 21, 2013
Cricket will not be the same anymore
If memory serves me right, I first watched him bat when India played New Zealand, he had been promoted to open the batting in what was going to be a stroke of genius by Ganguly. He was replacing his idol at the top who was out due to injury. He looked so much like his idol at that time, be it his stance and even some of his shots had the Sachin stamp. He smashed a century off 60 odd balls.
He was a genius, a modern day great, someone who was selfless about his own game but selfish when it came to destroying the opposition,he had no idea about the records that existed in the game and impossible as it sounds even forgetful about the last ball that was bowled to him. Nothing seemed to faze him, his game was built on a sound hand eye coordination-something that made up for his lack of footwork and something that would also be his vital thorn as he aged and found difficult to cope with the swinging bouncy tracks overseas-and a perfect balance. He was brilliant through the off side, the significant bottom hand was seen in his vicious cut shots. His leg side play improved considerably during the latter part of his career.
It is therefore befitting that my first article on cricket has to be about Viru. I write this with a sinking feeling that his return to international cricket is now a very slim possibility. For a game of glorious uncertainties, I so wish Viru proves me wrong, we can only wait! I haven't seen a player like him in the long years I have been following the game and there will no another one like him. He could dispatch a brilliant delivery to the boundary with consummate ease and also get out to a long hop caught somewhere in the out field. He could be beaten by a beauty from the bowler and and hit the same bowler for a six the very next ball. That was Sehwag for you, unpredictable but a player you could just pay and get your money's worth when it was his day.
I will so miss him on the cricket field, and cricket without Viru will not be the same anymore.
He was a genius, a modern day great, someone who was selfless about his own game but selfish when it came to destroying the opposition,he had no idea about the records that existed in the game and impossible as it sounds even forgetful about the last ball that was bowled to him. Nothing seemed to faze him, his game was built on a sound hand eye coordination-something that made up for his lack of footwork and something that would also be his vital thorn as he aged and found difficult to cope with the swinging bouncy tracks overseas-and a perfect balance. He was brilliant through the off side, the significant bottom hand was seen in his vicious cut shots. His leg side play improved considerably during the latter part of his career.
It is therefore befitting that my first article on cricket has to be about Viru. I write this with a sinking feeling that his return to international cricket is now a very slim possibility. For a game of glorious uncertainties, I so wish Viru proves me wrong, we can only wait! I haven't seen a player like him in the long years I have been following the game and there will no another one like him. He could dispatch a brilliant delivery to the boundary with consummate ease and also get out to a long hop caught somewhere in the out field. He could be beaten by a beauty from the bowler and and hit the same bowler for a six the very next ball. That was Sehwag for you, unpredictable but a player you could just pay and get your money's worth when it was his day.
I will so miss him on the cricket field, and cricket without Viru will not be the same anymore.
