Virender Sehwag's middle order move - a possible chance to revive his career

Virender Sehwag: A possible move down to number 4?

He is thirty five and he knows it.

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

With a technique which relies entirely on hand-eye co-ordination, Sehwag’s success as an opener has been quite surprising. Especially with the new ball swinging around, a technically sound batsman is a better option than a swashbuckling stroke-player, who attacks from the very first ball itself.

However, Sehwag’s ability as an opener was discovered by chance in an ODI match against Sri Lanka. Sachin Tendulkar’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 and play as an opener in the Test side.

If one might remember, Sehwag came into the team as a middle order batsman who could smash around the opponent bowlers. His abilities as a middle order player was evident from the very first Test he played in which he scored a century against South Africa in good bowling conditions.

As one might remember, India’s Test opening combinations were horrible during the early 2000s, and it was hard to find a consistent opener who could at least negotiate the new ball, if not score some runs. Although Tendulkar and Ganguly went up the order in the ODIs, they were more comfortable in the middle order in the Test format. 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 feet movement is minimal, but his excellent hand-eye coordination and attacking abilities made him an instant success. And finally, Team India found a reliable opener in Virender Sehwag.

For nearly a decade after that as an opener, he went on to break several records, won many accolades, and also went on to become one of the best batsmen in the world.

But then, as age caught up, the down slide was inevitable.

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

However, now after intense training, he is back and wants to play in the middle order.

It is not an entirely flawed request. Sehwag’s strength has always been in the middle order. His technique was never suitable for opening the innings. As everyone knows, he can make the spinners pay, and he did it with elan as he attacked them and dented their confidence. So, if he comes to bat in middle order, it is highly probable that he might face only the spinners and the medium pacers with the old ball.

Thus, he doesn’t need to negotiate the dangerous new ball. If you notice closely, Sehwag often gets out before he crosses 30, but once the new ball’s shine is gone, he goes on to make a huge score. His string of 150 plus scores explains my point.

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

This is Sehwag’s last and possibly, 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.

Maybe batting at number four, the Nawab of Najafgarh will finally roar back into form.