The 29-year-old didn't come up with headline-making contributions, but it is virtually impossible to quantify the frustration, if not panic, he triggered in the Australian ranks. There is a simplicity to Sehwag's approach, a method to his perceived madness, that can drive the best in the business ragged. That's been his USP, which is why India needed his unpredictable but dangerous presence much before Perth.
To many, it came as a huge surprise when Sehwag didn't figure in the list of 24 probables for the Test series. Wary of the mayhem he is capable of — having experienced it themselves several times — Australia were just about allowing themselves a chuckle when Gautam Gambhir pulled up short with a sore right shoulder, facilitating Sehwag's entry.
Anil Kumble had a delicate balancing act to perform after having specifically asked for Sehwag once Gambhir was ruled out. In most instances, Sehwag would have walked directly into the first eleven, but Yuvraj Singh's blazing form, embellished by that spectacular 169 in Bangalore, demanded that the left-hander hold his place, at least for the first Test.
India missed a trick by not throwing Sehwag into the ring in Sydney, particularly with Yuvraj totally out of his depth in Melbourne. Caught between bringing the dasher in and persisting with the form batsman — admittedly in the overs limited version — for the better part of twelve months, Kumble chose to stick with Yuvraj. Once the left-hander let his captain down in the second Test as well, Sehwag had to perforce return.
Immediate effect
The effect was immediate. Allowed hitherto to do their bidding by the opening duo of Wasim Jaffer and Rahul Dravid in the first two Tests, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson were suddenly jolted out of their comfort zones by the ferocity with which Sehwag came at them. It was imperative for India to snatch the early initiative and create momentum. Sehwag provided precisely that; between swinging and missing, he made brutal contact with the cricket ball, feeding off the additional bounce at the WACA to get India off to their best start of the series.
It was the best start not necessarily because Sehwag and Jaffer put on 57. Australia were forced for the first time to rethink and re-assess; each scything arc of the blade that bruised air gave them hope, but each time Sehwag got hold of the ball, the World champions yo-yoed between the irritated and enraged.
Sheer impact
Sehwag's flurry lasted less than an hour and a half and he only made 29, but those runs were worth many more for sheer impact. It was the first indication that India were up for a scrap; it was also the base on which the beefy middle-order could, and did, build.
As vitally refreshing was Sehwag's second-innings dash as India built on their 118-run advantage. Forewarned, Australia tried to forearm themselves as well, but again to no avail as India's only Test triple centurion blazed away for the second time on his way to a defining 43. That these two efforts came in his first Test for more than 12 months — the fear of being pilloried for throwing his hand away might have seriously affected lesser men — merely reiterated the strength of mind of one of India's most unfettered talents ever.
Simply because he makes batting look so easy when on song does Sehwag evoke strong negative feelings with daft dismissals. The more than occasional failure is a concession Indian cricket must afford Sehwag, an awareness not lost on Kumble. “He's that sort of a batsman. If he bats a session or more, he will invariably put the team in the driver's seat,” Kumble acknowledged. “That's why we have backed him through and through even when he has not been amongst the runs. He is a very talented and special player.” Sehwag, however, was far from finished. He has forever been an astute thinker, and at once instinctive without being impulsive. Throw in street-smart as well, blessed with the ability to think on his feet. It was on the back of his inputs that Kumble kept Ishant Sharma on for an eighth over, the youngster responding with Ricky Ponting's wicket. Then, when Kumble tossed him the ball, Sehwag's cleaned up the deadly dangerous Adam Gilchrist with a ripping off-break, snuffing out the last vestige of Australian hope. Talk of a fairytale comeback!
