Tag: Double hundred

Veeru, Veeru, Veeru, Oi, Oi, Oi !!!

On By deepozIn Archive 2014-2010Leave a comment

Brutal Veeru
Sublime Veeru
Viv like Veeru
But most importantly,
Focussed Veeru!!

Though this innings of Virender Sehwag came against a reasonable rather than testing bowling and a feather-bed of a wicket, the way in which he approached it, indicates that if this player puts his mind to it, he can break all possible records in the annals of this game.

To me, this puts Veeru right besides my most favourite batsman of all time, Viv Richards. There is lot more to Veeru than mere statistics, but they do tell something.

Look at the following charts and it will show how Veeru is the most non-discriminating batsmen ever. He does not discriminate against any type of bowling, conditions, match situations and most importantly, the state of his own innings. He treats all same…one-dimensionally. If a ball is bowled, it is meant to be hit!
And he rarely hits a shot in anger….he doesn’t need to.
He started off a little circumspectly, as his first 50 runs came off 41 balls or a run-rate of 122 runs off 100 balls; something that could be called as great run-rate for a majority of international batsmen. His scoring rate picked up in later half of each hundred, ending with a rate of ~143 runs per hundred balls. Incredible, considering he had scored a whopping 58% of the total when he was dismissed!! Domination? No, annhilation.

Look at individual fifties and hundreds in this innings. His first fifties in every hundred took slightly longer than the later one. But almost identical number of balls. This does indicate that he was perhaps playing to a plan…..may be for the first time?? The fact that he got a double ton in less than 50 overs, is astonishing in itself, what is even more startling is that he scored two fifties in a day at 28 balls each! Rarely players get one fifty at that rate!! Individually, that should count as one of the fastest fifty in the ODI history, and he got two in a day!! And scored two hundreds in a day at ~70 balls each! He must have been tired, since he took 2 balls more to reach the second hundred!

Jimmy Maxwell on ABC Grandstand commentary box said it all….When he got out, Veeru perhaps missed a chance to score a triple on the day!! Sehwag got out with still 21 balls available in the innings. He needed another 81 runs for a triple. Presuming he would have received a major percentage of balls, say 15 out of 21, it means Veeru would have required to score like so: 12 x 6 = 72. 3 x 4 = 12..total 84…Final score = 219+84 = 303…….easy!!!! Funny thing is, for any batsman other than Veeru, this exercise would sound like a joke and a mere mathametical possibility!!! To even consider, even in a light vein, that he could score a triple in a day is an acknowledgement of his genius. Mortals do not even get joked about such things..

This innings shows that here is one player who plays independent of the situation. He plays within his own zone EVERYTIME he steps on to the field. Cricket is a very mental game. For a batsman to be unfazed so much as he is, unaffected by what goes on around him and stay pure to his art of stroke-making, is to me, the most amazing thing. In that, he is the Don of Batting…above every one, including even Viv Richards. And if any doubts, just look at his record of long test innings..Almost every time, he plays them completely devoid of any influence of the environment.

Every time I see Veeru bat, it seems as if he is asking with every stroke of his, why is it so hard to understand that you have a bat in your hand to make runs??? Veeru’s art of batting is distilled to the purest form of making runs; something we know as children but forget as we grow up to be called matured batsmen. Much like a pure Ethanol distilled from many other mixed spirits. But this elixir comes with flavours that makes it easy on the pallet and a joy to be intoxicated with. As I write this, I can say, even the hang-over is enjoyable. Imagine a clone of Viv Richards and Sachin Tendulkar, and you get Virender Sehwag on song.

There is God….and then there is Sachin!!

On By deepozIn Archive 2014-20105 Comments

My cup is full…no, no, it is running over! I have been lucky to see one of the finest symphonies ever to have been played on the cricket field. Tendulkar’s unbeaten double ton last night was not merely an incredible achievement being first ever in 39 years and 2961 ODIs played so far, but a real master class. The control with which he coaxed the ball in to the gaps was really seen to be believed. No words can describe the beauty of it. More than the milestone, I was awe-struck by sheer control, incredible placement and almost no violence in scoring at a break-neck speed. There are players who can bludgeon the ball (as Dhoni last night), or dominate the scene completely (a la Viv Richards’ unbeaten 189 at Old Trafford in 1984), or manufacture shots to befuddle the bowlers like Sehwag usually does, but only Tendulkar in the mood he was in yesterday, could have made bowlers and fielders feel totally helpless and still enjoy the spectacle. Even agreeing that the conditions were perfect for batting, the opponent was far from toothless. A look at his batting chart will reveal that he played strokes all round. What it will not reveal is how he evaded fielders specifically placed to stop his shots. The performance was so commanding that it was like a maestro playing a club side; just that the bowling attack he shred to pieces is one of the best in the business today.

It was obvious that the bowlers could do little to stop him. Indeed the only lip any bowler could have given him was for running on the pitch like Dayle Steyn probably tried to; basically every thing the poor fellow tried had failed to disturb Tendulkar’s concentration and incandescent stroke play. When 145 km fast swinging yorkers outside the off stump are perfectly placed into midwicket gap to find the fence, and that too without violence, the bowler can only sigh. All pace bowlers, champions or otherwise, go through various steps of emotional expressions when they are bowling; a taunting smile, in-your-face frightening stare, a snarl, a tantrum, an ugly remark, kicking the invisible grass, pulling own hairs, shouting nasties at his own fielders, luck and even umpires. What I saw yesterday on the faces of Steyn and all SA bowlers was sheer tranquillity with a sense of inevitability after being dispatched to the fence. It was as if they were saying “Oh well, let us try again and hope that he gets tired or bored and gives his wicket away”. It was not helplessness; it was almost as if they were in a trance, having reached a state of Nirvana; an acceptance beyond pain. It was as if after midway through his innings, every ball bowled to Tendulkar was a “Prasad”, an offering to the God with sincere prayer that he will accept and make you a part of Himself…the innings was simply beyond all adjectives; in fact a new adjective “Tendulkar 200” would be an epitome of adjectives describing sheer beauty of batting..to me at least.

Now to the record part. There are quite a few batsmen I can think of, who deserved the record of scoring first ever double ton in an ODI, but Tendulkar gave it a credibility it deserves. Just as Robin Jackman commented on air before Tendulkar crossed 194, that he had nothing against Charles Coventry of Zimbabwe being at the top of the tree in individual score list in ODI (did you know that??), but somehow Tendulkar’s name at the top makes more sense. Usually awards make recipients more creditable; however there are some people who make an award more creditable. e.g. a Nobel Peace Prize is poorer for not having Mahatma Gandhi on its roster. Batting record for highest ODI individual score was the same without Sachin’s name on it. As the legendary cricket record breaker of all times, Sunny Gavaskar (in late 80s, an Indian author actually published a small book on Gavaskar’s records!), used to say that all cricket records are meant to be broken. And this one shall be broken too…in due course. Hard to say when though, since this one took some time. But that will never diminish the lustre of this innings. After having been written off a few times in his career, the maestro showed to every one what he has evolved into. To bat through 50 overs after playing international cricket for 20 years at an “old” age of 36 (in cricketing sense) he was answering not only his detractors but also setting a bar for his much younger colleagues. I don’t envy the young wannabe Sachins, nor his detractors who do not have a place to hide today..

The man is a genius, no one doubts that. What majority of fans miss is what goes on in that brain. He still possess that almost boyish love for the game. His passion still reminds me of that same baby-faced 14 year old I saw for the first time on Motibaug ground, Baroda (in 1987?) when he came with the Bombay team. We knew he was not going to make his debut; so we all went previous evening to see him bat in the nets. I remembered the same Sachin yesterday; same passion and love for the game, same hunger for runs. Age may have mellowed his swashbuckling style (ask Abdul Kadir who was carted for 3 sixes in an over even before Sachin had played any international game or Shane Warne of the 1997 “nightmares of Sachin coming at me”); but that is precisely where his his mastery lies..in not continuing a mono-dimensional approach to his game. His greatness is in his ability to adept his game to his advancing age. Here is a man who exactly knows how to maximise his talents under any adversity. I have seen many batsmen loosing their ability either due to age or psychological scars (like Krishnamachari Srikanth). What Tendulkar has displayed that needs to be understood and revered by every cricket fan, is his vice-like mind control. He has evolved a batting style that marries his body’s increasing limitations, his soul’s need (hunger for runs) and his team’s success. That is the work of a master!

Another thing. I have a feeling that this symphony that we call Sachin is reaching a crescendo. His last 10 international centuries have come in 33 innings in last 12 months. It is almost as if he has picked up furious pace as he is approaching final destination; may be that will come at World Cup 2011 on the sub-continent. He seems to be focussed upon making the most of the available period before calling it quits. Mark my words folks, we are in for a treat! I still feel he will continue in Test cricket beyond 2011, till he sees new crop of Indian batsmen adjust internationally to help India maintain the top rank achieved after so much effort. I really believe he is that type of a player; a total team man for whom the team’s success means more than his own. My suggestion is don’t miss to watch the maestro every time you have an opportunity..or else “धुन्ध्ते रह जाओगे”  (for those who do not know Hindi: “you will keep searching for him”). Go Sachin, you little beauty!!