Jhakas | Sanjay Jha
There were two people, amongst several other trophy-hunters, who achieved amazing milestones in the dreary, drawn , debilitating heat of the Chennai Test between India and South Africa. . Virendra Sehwag, playing as if he was casually practicing for a T 20 game, plundered the Proteas like a true daredevil without an iota of commiseration for the desperate visitors. It was ruthless decimation on a track so flat, even anorexic Kate Moss would have felt suitably threatened. But Sehwag truly left you spell-bound.
Rahul Dravid , in trademark style, played second fiddle to a rampaging rogue, who seemed immersed in settling scores with all his past demons and current critics hovering around to provide batting tips to the Najafgarh hero. Sehwag destroyed the bowling attack to such tiny smithereens with nonchalant ease; it was virtually difficult to fathom as to which ball would be contemptuously thrashed beyond the ropes. One could keep guessing about the ball's trajectory. 300 runs amassed, fewer balls faced in a Test match, means that the expectations of relentless firecrackers from IPL will not be too unrealistic. I don't know whether that is good news or a bad omen though. Continue reading below
Either way, Sehwag has redrawn the strike-rate bar in his straight-faced blasé style.
Watching the persistent hammering from the other side by Sehwag, was hardly a novel experience for The Wall. After all, they had almost created the biggest opening stand in cricketing history against Pakistan, till Sehwag's typical impetuosity and total disregard for records had brought them so close and yet so far from Pankaj Roy's and Vinoo Mankad's classic partnership. That Sehwag perished short of Brian Lara's massive 400, was perhaps symptomatic of the balding opener. In a game run with almost series to series fortitude determining your future, Sehwag has seen difficult times. Axed with a brutal assault, dumped with sadistic delight. And for a while, completely forgotten. Then a dramatic resuscitation from nowhere land, and he has taken his chances. And succeeded. By scoring his second triple hundred with imperious scorn, he has sent a loud message; Indian cricket needs him. Because he is amongst the few match-winners that we have. Even if bitten by the occasional inconsistent bug.
Dravid was humble, and dignified as always. After another remarkable accomplishment, crossing 10000 Test runs to join a select, revered band comprising of Brian Lara, Steve Waugh, Sunil Gavaskar, Allan Border and colleague Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid was in visible discomfiture explaining his own lack of self-belief once upon a time. That he feels that he is not got any special skills that are a rarefied monument, but that he has explored his own boundaries, reached out to touch the sky. Dug deep within his own limitations. It is his sheer humility, and yet a gritty on-field commitment that makes him perhaps the cricketer that India will find the most difficult to replace. He is the man you turn to when the ship begins to tilt. When the opponents come armed and surround you. When the going gets tough.
In Australia, TV commentators jumped with juvenile glee every time rookie Rohit Sharma played a cover drive and compared him with the lord and master, Sachin Tendulkar. I personally believe that comparisons are odious. And this one was clearly asinine borne out of excess consumption of Foster's perhaps. . But even so, where Dravid is concerned, I wonder if you will ever find a player in the Indian horizon that can be even remotely bracketed with Dravid's temperament, fitness, technique and talent. Dravid is in a sense, virtually irreplaceable. The day he calls it quits, a vacuum will be really felt. An empty space, left behind by a valiant warrior.
As for Sehwag, he is unique. He is The One. A character beyond definition. Or description. With his retirement some day in the future, a species will cease to exist. Go extinct. Let's savor him, take delight in his intemperate flourishes, that hurricane heave, that indescribable square-drive. Fortunately, none of these guys is going away in a hurry, unless Sir Dilip Vengsarkar suddenly starts asking for everybody's birth-day chart all over again.
That's the beauty of Test cricket. Even in a boring dull draw in sultry conditions and stifling heat, the gallant gladiators did make their statement.
Well done Rahul and Viru!
