The Hindu : Sehwag and Chopra

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 31, 2004

Front Page

Front Page

Sehwag and Chopra - a perfect pair

Cricket is a game of partnerships. Through the annals of the game successful teams have had players who have worked well in pairs whether opening the batting or bowling and some of the great names live on long past the time the sun has set on their cricket career. Indian cricket is on the verge of having a new partnership to go down in the record book alongside the great names of the past.

Sehwag and Chopra are quickly becoming household names in the vein of Hutton and Washbrook, Simpson and Lawry, Greenidge and Haynes, Gavaskar and Chauhan, Hayden and Langer or Wright and Edgar.

Now, Wright and Edgar may not be at the top of everybody's list but I can tell you they caused me to have some sleep-deprived nights. Lillee and Thomson were generally good enough for most opening combinations but Edgar and Wright proved to be the most difficult combination for them to get out. Bruce and John knew exactly where the off stump was and any slightly over pitched or wider balls were clinically dealt with.

Then came Greenidge and Haynes. They were not only difficult to get out but they were also difficult to bowl to. When asked how best to bowl to Greenidge and Haynes, Gary Gilmour used to reply `with a helmet on' because the West Indian powerhouses used to belt balls back at the bowlers much faster than they came down to them. They would destroy bowlers before handing over to the middle order of Richards, Richardson, Logie and Lloyd.

Sehwag and Chopra may not threaten life and limb in the same way as the two famous West Indian openers but they upset the equilibrium of bowlers just as much. While Chopra stuns and blunts the attack at one end Sehwag has quickly built a reputation as one of the most exciting and damaging players in world cricket. As good as Sehwag is Chopra is just as important to India in a different way.

Just as you cannot expect to build tall buildings on a base of sand, match-winning totals need a solid foundation. Chopra was the man chosen to open the innings with Sehwag for the series with Australia late last year and the selectors proved that they knew their man. He soon showed himself to be a player to be reckoned with. Possessing a defence as solid as his temperament he became the ideal foil for the flamboyant Sehwag.

As he grows in experience and confidence it is to be expected that he will go on to score centuries in his own right but at the moment he is doing an excellent job for his team. By providing the bluff to Sehwag's bluster, Chopra is causing his own share of frustration to the opposition bowlers and captain by turning over the strike to allow his mercurial partner to do the collateral damage.

Sehwag is growing in stature all the time. Most experts, well Geoff Boycott at least, have been saying that Sehwag would have to change his style to succeed at this level. When he seemingly threw away a double hundred against Australia in Melbourne late last year the critics were still bemoaning his hot-blooded approach.

I never felt that. It was my belief that all he had to do was to learn more discretion. What I liked about him was that he would have none of the criticism and was going to be true to himself and do it his own way. More power to him I say!

Sehwag's unflappable demeanour and flamboyant approach disguises a surprising depth of personality and character as well as a really solid technique. Sure, his footwork is going to look ordinary on the occasions that he picks the wrong delivery, or overestimates his ability, but by and large his method is sound. In fact, if he tried to change his way he could destroy what he has.

For a 25-year-old in his 21st Test match, Sehwag is building a record to compare with the best. He has proved himself to be someone who is learning from his experiences and he has already gone a long way from the callow young man who made his debut against Pakistan at Mohali in 1999.

Sehwag has compiled six Test centuries in that time including the highest score for India in Tests and, more importantly, he has done it in a manner that is exciting to behold. I am not sure whether Sourav Ganguly saw something special in the young man whom he press-ganged into opening in one-day cricket when Tendulkar was injured, or whether it was the act of a desperate man, but, either way, it is a move that was inspired and Indian cricket is set to reap the benefits for sometime to come.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News Update

Stories in this Section

BJP releases Vision Document

A fractured vision: Sibal

The opinion polls and what they mean

Sehwag and Chopra - a perfect pair

Congress spurned 18-seat offer in U.P.: Amar Singh

Shiv Shanker quits Congress

Ajit Jogi's suspension revoked

Ganguly returning

Killed