India hosts England at home in an ongoing test series. As ifon cue an Indian batsman hit a ton on the opening day. This time it was theNawab from Najafgarh who decided to remind people of what he was capable of,even after a lull of two years.
Virendra Sehwag scored his twenty third century in a stylethat made the rather dry pitch irrelevant and promptly pushed the English onthe backfoot in the first test at Ahmedabad.
His stay at the crease cast away all doubts that wereringing in the ears of fans and media persons. It also placed a psychological loadon the opposition.
As he went ahead and scored 117 off 117, the rest of theteam managed 206 off 424 deliveries.
This is a slow and low pitch, a bit like that beautypresented by the Goa State Cricket Association to the Jammu and Kashmir teamduring their recent visit for the Ranji trophy tie.
The Indian team armed with two spinners, will need a lot moreruns and yes, time to snare the English batsmen.
For a minute let us forget all that and go back to Sehwag.He batted with patience, steered the ball without indulging in his ritual smashthe ball pyrotechnics.
Despite such restraint he scored his hundred at more than runa ball.
His selection of shots was simply impeccable. Not for him,the mindless slog or the dance down the pitch to say hello to the spinners atthe very first opportunity.
During this innings he successfully fought that urge that stemsfrom boredom. The absence of a hundred for two years did weigh on his mind andhe made the English team pay for it.
There will be talk of the conditions here in the years tocome when this innings is discussed and the general ease with which Indianbatsmen usually score in such conditions. Remember, Tendulkar and Kohli bothfailed and it took Sehwag considerable gumption to show them how it had to bedone.
Let it be said that India needed a reminder of the considerabletalents available at its disposal, aft er the England and Australia tours whichseemed like an unending nightmare.
Sehwag may never please the purists but he has provedhimself, yet again.
