The Hindu : Sport : Virender Sehwag cracks century off 78 balls

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Virender Sehwag cracks century off 78 balls

S. Ram Mahesh

Dinesh Karthik makes the most of his opportunity, compiles a well-made 97

Canberra: How much does one read into Virender Sehwag’s 78-ball 113 on the final day of the tour game against the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Invitational XI?

Rahul Dravid, after the first day, said he hadn’t found it easy assessing performances in practice matches when he was captain — there were no convenient parameters to compare against. A player trying to force his way into the team had to “make everyone sit up and take notice.”

By that touchstone, Sehwag did enough here at the Manuka Oval on Saturday. It must be said that not one ACT bowler either cut the ball consistently into the right-hander or cramped him by hunting his ribs — two of Sehwag’s least liked modes of attack, particularly early on.

Great impact

But, a man can only play the opposition he’s given, and Sehwag made the most of the Indians’ second innings. The 29-year-old played with a freedom reminiscent of his glory days (which weren’t too long ago) — an approach that was missing, say observers, in the last domestic season. Such an impact did Sehwag create that Dinesh Karthik, who crafted 97, was eclipsed.

ACT cleared Sehwag’s stage by declaring 33 behind on its overnight score of 292 for eight. The opener sliced the second ball he faced behind point for the first of 18 fours. He upper cut the next and rounded off Ash Perera’s over, the first of the innings, with a stinging square-cut.

The lefty angle was feeding Sehwag. He never has been one for ostentatious footwork; shifts in balance have done for him, and a punch through cover off the left-armer, the ball struck at the top of its bounce, highlighted the efficiency of the method.

Sehwag was clearly picking the length early — the lack of deviation off the strip was allowing him to accelerate his hands through the line from his eccentric back-lift.

He also manipulated the field. He sent a ball outside off-stump to backward square leg and proceeded to exploit the gap he had created on the off-side.

Sehwag tightened his defence as the innings progressed, though it was a stroke he applied in the rarest of rare circumstances. The innings wasn’t chanceless: he was dropped on 16 at square-leg and on 92 at mid-on. But, the feeling one had with Sehwag at his best was such things scarcely bothered him; one got the same sense (in admittedly easier conditions) on Saturday.

Rotating strike

Karthik, who opened with Sehwag, didn’t so much play second fiddle as stand back and admire. Of the Indians’ first 50, Karthik contributed 3. But, he did well to refrain from attempting to match his senior partner. He turned the strike over well, barring a period in Sehwag’s 90s, and opened up to play several skilful strokes himself.

After two unsuccessful attempts at the pull — which cost him his wicket in the first innings — Karthik got it right, though it was the short-arm version. Leg-spinner Ryan Bulger was lofted over cover off the back foot.

Sehwag had made room to dispatch Bulger over extra-cover for six, but Karthik’s was the more difficult stroke, for the ball kept low.

Sehwag reached his century 21 minutes before lunch with a flick to the vacant fine-leg boundary and celebrated by biffing Adam Ritchard into the car park behind wide long-on — a hit that travelled at least 100 metres.

Sehwag left before lunch, feathering to the keeper a delivery from left-arm slow bowler Mark Higgs that drifted in and turned just enough.

Karthik, who had been dropped by the keeper on 19, reached 97 with 12 fours before playing around his leading pad to be dismissed leg-before. It was a tame end, for he was endeavouring to tickle a ball of full length behind square when he could just have easily hit down the ground, but the 22-year-old had shown again that he can raise his game when needed.

Yuvraj Singh is going through a period where he can do little right. On Saturday, he hit a low full-toss to cover where it was caught splendidly by Jonathon Dean, diving to his right.

The Indians declared at tea, and Pankaj Singh, exhibiting better rhythm than the first innings, took two wickets. In between, Irfan Pathan had Chris Rogers caught behind with a ball that left the opener off the wicket. But, the match was going nowhere. It was called off an hour early.

The scores:

Indians — 1st innings: 325 for nine decl.

ACT Invitational XI — 1st innings: 292 for eight decl.

Indians — 2nd innings: D. Karthik lbw b Bulger 97, V. Sehwag c Crosthwaite b Higgs 113, W. Jaffer c Crosthwaite b Bulger 21, Yuvraj c Dean b Perera 3, R. Dravid (not out) 16, I. Pathan (not out) 18; Extras (b-3, lb-2, nb-8): 13. Total (for four wkts. decl. in 58 overs): 281.

Fall of wickets: 1-158 (Sehwag), 2-238 (Jaffer), 3-241 (Karthik), 4-248 (Yuvraj).

ACT Invitational XI bowling: Perera 12-3-46-1, Swards 13-3-35-0, Sherlock 2-0-23-0, Bulger 24-2-120-2, Ritchard 5-0-47-0, Higgs 2-0-5-1.

ACT Invitational XI — 2nd innings: E. Cowan c Sehwag b Pankaj 7, C. Rogers c Karthik b Pathan 17, J. Dean lbw b Pankaj 0, M. Higgs (not out) 14, J. Rogers (not out) 9, Extras (lb-6, nb-1, w-6): 13. Total (for three wickets in 17 overs): 60.

Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Cowan), 2-35 (C. Rogers), 3-35 (Dean).

Indians bowling: Pankaj 5-1-21-2, Pathan 4-1-16-1, V.R.V. Singh 4-1-10-0, Ishant 4 -1-7-0.

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