Sometimes setbacks are necessary in life for one to take stock of things and come back with a bang - better, stronger and wiser.

Cricketers are no exception to this. One man who stands testimony to this fact is Virender Sehwag. Dumped unceremoniously after a rather ordinary showing in the Twenty20 World Championship, he has come back better and stronger into the Indian team.

And what better way to announce his return from a short period of exile than score a blistering 319 against the Proteas in the first Test match in Chennai. Records kept tumbling on an eventful third day’s play and most of them belonged to the Nawab of Najafgarh.

'Sehwag’s critics need to do some serious soul searching before they launch another tirade'


Sehwag’s critics need to do some serious soul searching before they launch another tirade. I am not saying that a player should never be criticised, but sometimes we need to accept players for what they are and as they are.

When we talk of Sehwag being the only player from the subcontinent to score two triple tons, some people might ask what is the big deal (dead flat pitches in favourable conditions).

But let me tell you that whether it is a dead or seaming track, a triple century is a triple century, no matter how it is scored or in what conditions it is scored.

Sehwag’s gargantuan effort was studded with 42 boundaries and five sixes and some of the shots were truly breathtaking, to say the least. Which batsmen in world cricket would hit a six over extra cover or an upper cut over third man?

When he hits the ball, it stays hit. For a man not known to be an artist with his footwork, he has overcome this limitation with tremendous hand-eye coordination coupled with incredible bat speed. There was little doubt that fans of the cricket crazy city of Chennai were going to be treated to a delicious run feast from the willow of Sehwag.

He has the distinction of having the second highest average in the stadium after his Idol Sachin Tendulkar Apart from his heroics with the bat, he is a handy bowler too having picked up the crucial wicket of Mark Boucher in the South African first innings.

Again I reinforce the point that people should learn to accept Sehwag for what he is. There are times when he doesn’t score. On his day, a powerful cut shot races to the fence and on a bad day, the same shot ends up in the gloves of the wicket keeper or he plays on.

That’s the way he plays and we must respect that. Even during the Twenty20 victory, although his contribution was not that substantial, the partnerships  with Gautam Gambhir at the top of the order were crucial to getting India to a good total in most of the matches.

It is time that he gets his place at the top of the order in both forms of the game. He literally has the firepower to blow out the opposition even before they understand what’s happening.

Meanwhile, let's just sit back and enjoy the action!

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