Q&A

Virender Sehwag

The Sehwag Principle

As Virender Sehwag prepares for the World Cup at home, Vinay Verma talks to him about his smashing career

Sehwag can be up-tempo jazz or manic hip hop. The bowlers, invariably, dance to his tune

> photography DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / GETTY IMAGES

IRENDER SEHWAG is crickets original BASE jumper. It is not a great flight of imagination to picture him as the stuntman jumping off the Eiffel Tower in the 1985 James Bond movie A View To Kill. At the top of Indias fabled batting line-up he has an open licence to thrill. Coach Gary Kirsten knows better than to cut a diamond that is unique. Sehwag does not move his feet. He plays away from his body. A generation of video analysts have devised game plans to thwart his assaults. Bowlers, both fast and slow, have sweated at the top of their marks, beaten before they have bowled. They have tried to cramp him with short pitched bowling at the hips and midriff. They have bounced him. Tweakers have bowled wide of leg stump and away from the off. He has chased them like he would a stray dog and banished them to a world beyond the ropes.

To call Sehwag a natural is only part of the DNA. His muscles have not been honed in a gym. At just over 1.70 metres he does not tower over many. His frame is almost elf-like. But there is a strength and suppleness about the man that can only come from his innate spirituality. His stamina and temperament is evident in his two triple centuries and six double centuries. His strokes are not in the coaching manual. He has the eyes of a wedge-tailed eagle and the focus is on the bowler as he delivers. In that split second he has decoded the trajectory and line. He has computed all the vital information and his head is still as he moves the front leg ever so slightly to leg and lofts Shoaib Akhtar inside out over covers head. And for good measure shovels the next from a foot outside the off stump past a hapless midwicket. Sehwag can be up-tempo jazz or manic hip hop. The bowlers, invariably, dance to his tune. When umpires like Simon Taufel and the late David Shepherd are quietly and inwardly >>

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When my first coach sent me for an under age trial I scored 20 with five boundaries before I was out. The selectors said I would never make it because I only knew how to hit fours. But I never changed my style
applauding his stroke-play you know you are watching a special person. All this is not to suggest that he never fails. He can fill a stadium when he is on song. There is a sense of loss among the viewers when he is dismissed. His average of 54 and strike rate of 82 puts him at the very top of the great openers. Adam Gilchrist had a better strike rate in Tests and he batted at seven after the scoring efforts of players such as Hayden, Ponting and Waugh. Sehwag is comfortably ahead of other modern greats like Tendulkar, Lara and Ponting. Kevin Pietersen, on the cusp of greatness, strikes in the low 60s. Where did all this begin? With his laundry neatly piled on the bed, the 32-year-old settled across from me in a comfortable chair. What was to be a 40-minute interview ranged deep into the evening and VVS Laxman came in a few times reminding Viru, as he is affectionately called by team-mates, that dinner was waiting. What are your earliest memories of cricket? Was it an accident or did you always dream of wearing the blue cap of India? Actually I did not even think of cricket till I was 11 or 12. I was watching Sachin bat on the TV and what he was doing I was copying in front of the TV. I said to myself that I wanted to play like him. What did your parents think about your playing cricket full-time? Did they push you to study and get proper qualifications? My father came from farming stock and there was not a lot of emphasis on education. I remember when I was between 14 and 16 I would leave home around seven in the morning and take a bus to school. After school I would take another bus to cricket practice and it would be almost nine at night when I returned home. Those 14-hour days were long and my parents were only interested in me coming home safely. They supported me in my dreams and never put pressure on me. You started your international career in an ODI against Pakistan in 1999. You scored one and did not get another chance till December 2000. Your first ODI 50 was four months later against Australia in Bangalore. But you did not open the batting till August 2001 when Sachin was unavailable. In the match to decide the finalist you scored a 100 off 69 balls. It was later that year you got your first Test cap against South Africa in Bloemfontein batting at six. Were you unfairly branded as only an ODI player at that time? Yes, it definitely annoyed me that people thought I could only play one-dayers. I remember when my first coach in school, Mr AN Sharma, sent me for an under age trial. I scored 20 with five boundaries before I was out. The selectors then said I would never make it because I only knew how to hit fours. But I never changed my style. I am proud I scored my first Under 19 hundred and first-class hundred within 12 months. Another 12 months later I scored my first ODI hundred and in my first Test scored a hundred batting at six. Talk us through that first hundred in Bloemfontein. What were your thoughts when you came in with the score at 4-68 and only Tendulkar left of the recognised batsmen? I remember clearly Sachin telling me that he knew I was nervous and tense and it was natural. He just told me at the start to relax and enjoy the moment. He kept encouraging me and told me to watch the ball. He was in great form and I just wanted to support him. We put on 220 for the fifth wicket and I only started to go for my shots when he left. I learnt a lot watching him score a century and take the attack to the bowlers. You have played more Tests against Australia than any other nation. Overall you average 48 against them but in Australia you average 59.50 which is more than your career

average of 54. What is it about Australia that brings out the best in you? I like the bounce of the Australian pitches and it is good for my shot making. Also Australia has been the dominant team so far in my career and I always wanted to prove myself against them and especially on their pitches. The Australian crowds fell in love with you after the 195 at the MCG. You hit five sixes. You had just hit Katich for six off a full toss. The next ball was also a full toss. You could have put it anywhere. What happened? Thats the way I play. I was trying to hit it for six. The double century did not enter my mind. I just mistimed it. In the end we lost that match and that was not a good feeling. A few months after the Australian tour in March 2004 you hit your first triple in Multan against Pakistan. Again you were involved in a big partnership with Tendulkar. The innings contained 39 fours and six sixes and Pakistan had a strong attack of Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami and Saqlain Mushtaq. You were also more restrained than usual. Was that because of Tendulkar? You dont want to do anything silly when you are batting with Sachin. He kept telling me to watch and leave and only hit the bad balls. But what appears a good ball to others sometimes I think is a bad ball and then I just want to hit for four or six. It was good to get that score and even better after we won by an innings. It was four years later and again in the month of March that you scored 309 against South Africa in Chennai. Mickey Arthur, the Proteas coach, described it as the best Test innings he had ever seen. This is what he said: The way he played today was

absolutely amazing. We tried to attack him, we defended against him, tried to bowl straight lines, bowl wide, over the wicket, round the wicket, did everything possible. And he countered us. Did you do anything different this innings? It was also the fastest triple in the history of Tests. I only played one Test out of 10 in 2007 and it hurt me to get dropped. I wanted to prove that I was good enough to stay in this team. But I was confident and the support of my team-mates definitely helped. It was humid and the physio and 12th man made sure I had enough fluids. I did not want their spinner, Harris, to settle. He was bowling a negative line so I reverse swept

him a few times. I was also looking to score quickly so we could put pressure on South Africa when they batted a second time. You have faced some of the fastest bowlers like Lee, Akhtar and Flintoff. You have also faced the two best spinners in the history of the game. How did you approach Warne and Murali? Warne was easier to play. I knew he had a big leg-break and a straight one. I had to watch it from his hand. I scored 155 against the Aussies at Chepauk [Chennai, 2004] and faced a lot of his bowling. With Murali I was always hesitant. He had a lot of variations. I felt he could get me anytime. Even when I was set. You are established now, at the top of the order, after a decade. You have thrilled spectators the world over. You play with a smile on your face and are seen laughing and enjoying yourself. Critics are comparing you to past greats like Victor Trumper and Gordon Greenidge. Test cricket needs players like you who give enjoyment and also enjoy themselves. India is now ranked No.1 in Tests. How does that sit with you? I dont know much about the past greats because I dont read the papers a lot. I keep all my time to practice and play. I enjoy the game and the company of my team-mates. Becoming No.1 has not happened overnight. A lot of players have contributed. Sourav Ganguly and then Anil Kumble have all been a part of this. Staying at No.1 is going to be harder than getting there. We have a great administration and coach. The players are comfortable and they know they will not be dropped after a few bad games. >>

Sehwag and interviewer Verma meet over a copy of Inside Cricket

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The management is listening to us and this is reflecting in the way we play. What effect has Gary Kirsten had on the team and how do you get on with him? Gary likes to stay behind the scenes. He wants us to express ourselves and play naturally. Also our skipper, Mahi (MS Dhoni), does not believe in too many team meetings. He is pretty relaxed and always supporting us. You have a busy time ahead, starting with the World Cup, followed by the IPL. There is talk of a two-Test series against West Indies before you go to England in July for four Tests. Before you know it you could be playing your 100th Test in Sydney in January 2012. Where do you get any time to recover and relax? That is the life of a professional cricketer. I am really looking forward to playing my 100th Test and it would be nice if it was at home. But that is not in my hands. Having the WC in India is exciting and the expectations on us will be high. The ODI format is very popular in India and I like playing it. I also like Twenty20 because it is not very taxing and it is fun. And we get paid well for having fun! It is tough being away from my wife Aarti, and son, Aryavir, because he is just three. I know you are involved in some charities and a proposed Sports School is high on your list of priorities. Tell us a bit about this. Yes, I am also doing some work to help the under privileged. I want to build a sports school where deserving children can study and also get expert guidance on a sports career. The government has allocated the land for this and construction has started and I want to make this a success. I am also involved with Shikhar and they are looking to build a school for girls and offer free computer education to them. I am also involved in an eye hospital where we want to make a Rs10000 ($220) operation available for Rs10 ($2). Its been a commitment from players like Sachin, Rahul and Anil that inspires the rest of us to do our bit for those not so fortunate.

Warne was easier to play than Murali. I knew he had a big leg-break and a straight one. With Murali I felt he could get me anytime. Even when I was set

Bat out of hell

runs hs ave. strk. rate

TESTS 84 ODIs 228

7550 7380

319 146

54.71 34.64

82.17 103.27

63.9 per cent of Test runs in boundaries Fastest triple hundred in Tests (278 balls) Fastest 250 in Tests (207 Balls) Fastest ODI century by an Indian (60 Balls)

Most Test sixes (84) by any opening batsmen. Only Gilchrist with 100 from 96 matches,Lara with 88 from 131 matches and Chris Cairns with 87 from 62 matches have scored more sixes.
Statistics correct as at Dec 16, 2010

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