Boxing Day Test: Struggling Indian openers need to find inspiration from Sehwag's 2003 masterclass
With the Indian openers having a dry run at the moment, they need something to look into for inspiration. What better innings to look for than Virender Sehwag‘s belligerent 195 off just 233 balls at Melbourne in the 2003 Boxing Day Test.
Sourav Ganguly's trailblazing Indian team, after securing a historic victory at Adelaide, arrived at Melbourne to play the third Test of the series on Boxing Day. The visitors were leading the series 1-0.
Having failed to convert his starts in the first two Tests, Sehwag was determined to make amends and Melbourne was a perfect setting for him. The Aussies, without Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, were mentally shattered after being overpowered at Adelaide.
Known for his aggressive stroke-play, Sehwag went against his instincts and was very watchful in the first hour of play on the opening day. He figured out that the pitch was a bit damp and there was some help for the seamers. The attacking opener left a lot of deliveries outside off stump and frustrated the Australian bowlers.
After giving the first hour to the bowlers, Sehwag came out of his shell and went on rampage mode. He stroked a huge maximum off Stuart MacGill and there was no looking back after that. The dynamic right-hander raced to his century in just 144 balls.
Sehwag's hand-eye coordination and the way he was muscling the ball to all corners of the ground were a treat to watch. He was particularly severe on MacGill's loopy leg-spin and Brad Williams' medium pace.
The manner in which he cut and swept them showed his finesse and brute force. His innings was studded with 25 fours and 5 huge sixes. Towards the end of the opening day, he was dismissed by Simon Katich for 195 from 233 balls.
Sehwag was completely unruffled right from the start. He was focused on his job and took the attack to the opposition through his 'see the ball, hit the ball approach.' For the first time, the Aussies were clearly lacking a plan on how to bowl to a visiting opening batsman.
Sehwag's innings came to a sudden end when he tried to clear mid wicket off a harmless delivery from Katich. He batted serenely and announced himself as the star opening batsman at that time.
India's contenders for the two opening slots in the upcoming MCG Test - Murali Vijay, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal - should definitely take a leaf out of Sehwag's 2003 masterclass and put up a splendid show against an in-form Australian bowling attack.