The Vanishing of Veeru

No one can crack the mystery of the missing opener as Sehwag's ODI impact shows a slow fade

PICTURE SPEAK

The response to Sehwag's dilemma has been a curious mix of action and inaction

In those 40 games, Sehwag averages 29.55 (six 50s), as against a career average of 31.59. The difference is marginal but some ODI openers cannot be judged by averages alone. Adam Gilchrist averages 36.43, Sanath Jayasuriya 32.86. When compared to the pure weight of dread they cause to bowlers, those are modest numbers. What separates the chivalrous Australian, the ruthless Buddhist and Sehwag from the rest is the pace at which they score. Gilchrist and Sehwag are tied for the highest strike rate (dead even at 96.77) among ODI openers followed by Jayasuriya (89.94).

What unites all leading ODI openers though is the rate of big returns: Jayasuriya has 22 centuries and 60 fifties in 358 games, Gilchrist 15 centuries and 45 fifties in 235 ODIs. Even given that Sehwag has not played as much, his closest contemporary West Indian Chris Gayle (146 odis @38.87, strike rate 79.16) has 13 centuries, 28 fifties. In 158 ODIs, Sehwag has seven centuries and 23 fifties.

For his first 100-odd ODIs, Sehwag's numbers were up to speed with the best in his business; but over the last the last 18 months, the impact and imprint of this most original of batsmen on his team's results have faded.

Batsmen of Sehwag's stripe are always asked to choose between indulgence and discipline. After a while, a revved-up run rate is not the only reflection of their powers. The ability to lower gears on demand becomes their most dangerous asset. The most revealing statistic from Sehwag's barren 18 months is this: India has won 21 of Sehwag's last 40 ODIs, in which he has only three fifties (@30.85). In the 58 previous ODI victories he has been involved in, Sehwag has averaged 45.44, scoring six of his seven centuries and 14 of his 23 fifties. The influence of the player who won 11 ODIs 11 Man of the Match titles in his first 100 ODIs, has faded in his last 58 games. It is like Virender Sehwag has gone missing, replaced by someone who looks like him but doesn't bat like he can.

The response to Sehwag's dilemma from the team has been a mix of action and inaction: he has had run -ins with the coach, seen a psychologist, been sent down the order and, in coy euphemism even been 'rested' for a few matches. The 'rest' has led to a short scoring spurt but no long-term resolution. The transfer into the middle order was meant to see if Sehwag could become mid-innings axeman against spin, maybe even to send out a message about dispensability. But ambiguous messages at best produce inconclusive results. Fewer messages travel faster and more directly to a cricketer than being dropped. Or in some cases, not being dropped.

The word from the India camp is that Sehwag is at a "crossroads", the onus on him to raise his game. Or else... Actually, the truth is that there is no 'or else.' If Sehwag is at a crossroads, so is the team over the issue. Six months from the World Cup, there are no reassuring options of a third opener. When Dravid tried his hand as a stopgap ODI opener this year, it meant fewer tryout games for younger openers like Robin Uthappa. The loss of early season games to rain have only crystallised the stalemate. One India insider admitted, "the competition for Sehwag's spot is not Gambhir or Uthappa. It is Sourav Ganguly." Drama aside, this is a very distant possibility as Ganguly's recent scores are poor. In the larger context of the World Cup, someone needs to crack the mystery of the missing opener. Or else.

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