Sports View: The Sword of Viru

By M H Ahssan

Viru Sehwag's batting evokes two distinct types of reactions these days: fans break into frenzied dance, opponents simply break down. While his audacious strokeplay is exhilarating in one sense, it is devastating in another, and heaven forbid if you are at the receiving end, as the hapless Kiwis discovered on Wednesday.

On paper, it wasn't an easy target to chase, what with the inclement weather bringing about stoppages in play that would affect any batsman's concentration. But then Sehwag is not just any other batsman, and the only issue, once he had got his eye in, was how long it would take India to clinch victory. This came at almost nine runs an over, by the end of which the New Zealanders did not know whether to cry or rejoice.

Frankly though, better teams than Daniel Vettori's current assemblage of very modest talent have been reduced to abject submission by the Sword of Viru in recent times, so the Kiwis have not done too badly even if they have conceded a record to him (the fastest ODI century by an Indian) and this series to MS Dhoni's side which seems replete with rampaging lumberjacks instead of a conventional batting line-up.

Sehwag, of course, sits atop this pile of scintillating strokeplayers in more ways than just the batting order. His range of shots, his sense of timing, and the utter fearlessness in approach make him not just the most destructive batsman today, but arguably even the best. I say this without fear of being charged with heresy because no other batsman -- at least in the past 18 months -- has played as many outstanding knocks in every form of the game, and in vastly differing conditions.

In the process Sehwag has defied purists, who believed he lacked the technique to sustain his success at the highest level, and has redefined the idiom of modern batsmanship. No bowler, no delivery, is not hittable for Sehwag. His strokes can be classic one moment, completely unorthodox another, but rarely does he look out of control. Indeed, he bats with chilling nonchalance, using his superb eye-hand co-ordination, terrific ball sense, and at most times hitting through the line to reduce bowlers to despair.

In many ways Sehwag has set the agenda for batsmen to play, and be rated in the future, the only problem, of course, being that not everybody can be as gifted.Let's savour his every moment.

Sehwag's dazzling pyrotechnics and the rousing display of the Indian team notwithstanding, the big development in international cricket in the past couple of weeks has been Australia's emphatic return to winning ways. Victories in the first two Tests against South Africa have erased the humiliation of the defeats against India and South Africa late last year, and the discovery of fine young talent like Peter Siddle, Phil Hughes and particularly Mitchell Johnson, suggests that Australia's position at the top may be secure for some time.

Pity that India and Australia don't square off against each other soon enough. That's one battle that the cricket world would relish. Indeed, a three-way contest for Tests and ODIs between Australia, India and South Africa might provide the answer to which is the best side in the world. What a pity that we have to rely on the dubious current ratings system.