Sehwag's Middle Order Move: A possible bull's eye?

He is Thirty five and he knows it.

One of the most profilic test openers ever to play for India, Virender Sehwag has requested the Delhi team management to play him down the order. This might sound as a desperate move, but if you know Sehwag from his initial days, it is actually a reasonable request.

With a technique which relies entirely on hand-eye co-ordination, Sehwag’s success as an opener is quite surprising, especially when the new ball swings around, and a technically sound batsman is a better option, rather than a swashbuckling player who attacks from the very first ball itself. But infact, his ability as an opener was discovered by chance, in an ODI match against Sri Lanka. Sachin’s absence was Sehwag’s gain, as he notched up a string of excellent performances to earn his place into the team. But for that, he had to come out of his comfort zone- ie play as an opener.

If one might remember, Sehwag’s came into the team as a lower-middle order player, who can get some quick runs at the end of the innings. His abilities as a middle order player was evident from the very test he played, in which he scored a century against South Africa in good bowling conditions.

As one might remember, India’s test opening combination was horrible during the early 2000’s. It was hard to find a consistent opener, who could atleast negotiate the new ball, if not score some runs. ODI opening pair of Sachin-Ganguly were comfortable only in the middle order, and making them open the innings in test would be foolish. Now, after Sehwag’s success as an opener in the shorter format, Ganguly "requested" him to bat up the order.

And what a masterstroke it turned out to be!

Yes, his technique is flawed. Yes, his leg-movement is comparable to many tailenders. But his excellent hand-eye coordination, and attacking abilities, made him an instant success. And finally, the team India found a reliable opener in the name of Sehwag.

And for nearly the next decade as an opener, he went on to break several records, won many accolades, and also went on to become the world’s best batsman. But then, as age caught up, his downslide was inevitable.

His lack of footwork was exposed in swinging conditions in England and also in pacy pitches of South Africa and Australia. After a long string of poor form (for nearly 2 and half years), selectors finally dropped him, and decided to go on with other opening options.

Now after intense training, he is back. And he wants to play in the middle order.

It is not a foolish decision/request. Sehwag’s strength has always been middle order. His technique was never meant to open the innings. As everyone knows, he literally used to make the spinners cry, when he used to attack them and dent their confindence. Here comes my point. If he bats in middle order, it is probable that he might face only the spinners, or maybe some experienced compainers of reverse swing. So he doesn’t need to negotiate the dangerous new ball. If you clearly notice, Sehwag often gets out before he crosses 30, but once the new ball’s shine is done with, he goes on to make a huge score. His continuous string of 150+ scores explains my point.

More than everything else, he might get the confidence he requires. He thinks he belongs to the middle order, and giving him an oppertunity to play there would only boost his confidence. With Sachin nearly at the sun-set of his career, there could be a vacant spot empty, and Sehwag coming down at no.4 would be perfect for him.

Possibly, this is Sehwag’s last and might be his best resort to make it back to the team. I definitely want him to make an international return and cross the 10,000 runs barrier in both the formats of the game.

May the Nawab of Najafgarh roar back to form.