Sehwag - Best Batsman In World Cricket Right Now

[tooextracool]

The rate at which Sehwag scores his runs renders "flat-pitch" criticisms irrelevant, in any case. He makes up for the flatness of the pitch by giving his bowlers more time to take 20 wickets. Basically, he converts flat draw pitches into result pitches.

Its irrelevant to the argument at hand. Scoring 200 off 150 balls in India or SL is a much different proposition from scoring a 100 of any number of deliveries in England or NZ. Tendulkar did the latter, Sehwag didnt. I cannot logically see how anybody can put Sehwag ahead of Sachin in any context regardless of how small you want to make the window for the number of years.

 

[vcs]

Well, if we reduce the window to a time-frame that doesn't include India's last tour to England, we could, right?

I didn't think Sehwag particularly struggled against the moving ball in NZ either. The conditions were excellent for batting and everybody made hay. He had a couple of brain-cramp dismissals to spinners and a run-out in that series.

 

[tooextracool]

Well the bottom line is that he failed in an important series and Tendulkar succeeded. In terms of the actual overall numbers Tendulkar isnt far away from Sehwag no matter what window you choose. Given that Tendulkar has done well pretty much everywhere, I'd take Tendulkar over Sehwag.

 

[Shri]

Some serious overrating of Sehwag going on here. Sehwags scored plenty of runs in the last couple of years no doubt, but the fact of the matter is that he's capitalized on some very flat wickets on the subcontinent and in the only series which he played abroad (in NZ) he was pretty average (again). To say that he is well ahead of Tendulkar or Clarke who have gone around the world and scored prolifically everywhere in the last 2 years is a bit ridiculous. Clarke seems to be especially underrated given the quality of attacks hes had to face (SA, Eng and Pakistan)

Well the bottom line is that he failed in an important series and Tendulkar succeeded. In terms of the actual overall numbers Tendulkar isnt far away from Sehwag no matter what window you choose. Given that Tendulkar has done well pretty much everywhere, I'd take Tendulkar over Sehwag.

Moving posts after a generic point fails is becoming the CW flavor of the month.

 

[Faisal1985]

As of today the best batsman is probably Sachin. Nothing beats this guy...Sehwag is a very close 2nd imo.

 

[Migara]

Its irrelevant to the argument at hand. Scoring 200 off 150 balls in India or SL is a much different proposition from scoring a 100 of any number of deliveries in England or NZ. Tendulkar did the latter, Sehwag didnt. I cannot logically see how anybody can put Sehwag ahead of Sachin in any context regardless of how small you want to make the window for the number of years.

You think scoring a century on a pitch like Dambulla is worse than scoring it on NZ / ENG / SAF pitch? Shewag's century vs NZ was very good, and so was his 99 vs SL. Afterall, Dambulla is one of the MOST bowlers friendly venues in the cricket world.

 

[tooextracool]

Moving posts after a generic point fails is becoming the CW flavor of the month.

Not sure what you are trying to say, but the argument that Sehwag has largely scored on flat subcontinental wickets remains. I think theres little doubt that the quality of pitches that Clarke has played on and scored runs have been far more bowler friendly.

 

[tooextracool]

You think scoring a century on a pitch like Dambulla is worse than scoring it on NZ / ENG / SAF pitch? Shewag's century vs NZ was very good, and so was his 99 vs SL. Afterall, Dambulla is one of the MOST bowlers friendly venues in the cricket world.

We're talking tests not ODIs here.

 

[weldone]

I'm not very comfortable comparing Sehwag with Sachin. Overall, there can't be a comparison. There might be one based on current form. But who cares? Let me say a few words about Sehwag here without comparing him to Sachin.

Sehwag has been easily the best opener in recent years, and someone with exceptional ability. He's definitely one of the best players of spin bowling in the world, if not the best (not only on form). He is, and always has been, a plunderous murderer of any ball with a bit of a width outside off-stump. He has an excellent technique of straight driving. Look at the bat movement while he's driving the ball straight. Steady wrist, a dead straight bat. One area where he has improved quite a lot in the last 3 years in his onside play against quick bowling. Anything on his pads, and it's easily placed for a single. Earlier in his career he was a bit dubious against short ball aimed at the leg stump line. That weakness doesn't exist anymore. There is no evidence I've seen of him not being successful on swinging / bouncing conditions on a consistent basis. I'm sick with people labelling him an FTB. There have been thousands of batsmen who've played on flat tracks. How many of them scored 2 triple centuries? How many of them scored as many big hundreds as Sehwag did? How many of them scored as quickly as Sehwag did. Some people are so obsessed with some things that nothing else matters to them.

You might say that scoring a century in England is better than scoring a triple century in India, but that's not true. Ajit Agarkar has a test century in England. Is he a better batsman than Sehwag? Sehwag has played extremely well against some of the best bowlers of his generation. Is that not good enough to label a great batsman?

I won't compare Sehwag with Sachin. That would mean belittling Sachin, and not respecting Sehwag either. What I shall do is salute Sehwag for what he has done, what he has achieved, and wait with great anticipation for what he's yet to achieve.

Enjoy watching cricket, guys!

 

[tooextracool]

You might say that scoring a century in England is better than scoring a triple century in India, but that's not true. Ajit Agarkar has a test century in England. Is he a better batsman than Sehwag? Sehwag has played extremely well against some of the best bowlers of his generation. Is that not good enough to label a great batsman?

No one has said this. The point is that unlike Agarkar, some of the players that we are comparing him with have scored runs all over the world. I think we're disrespecting the accomplishments of Clarke, Tendulkar and Sangakkara over the past few years by saying that Sehwag has been ahead of them.

 

[weldone]

I think we're disrespecting the accomplishments of Clarke, Tendulkar and Sangakkara over the past few years by saying that Sehwag has been ahead of them.

I, for one, am not saying Sehwag has been ahead of them.

You named just the best 4 test batsmen in the world today based on form. I'm not commenting on where Sehwag stands among the 4 currently.

All I am doing is passing a judgement on Sehwag's play against spin bowling anywhere and Sehwag's play against any bowler on most of the grounds in the world. I think I've seen enough of Sehwag. And I'm saying that I haven't seen any evidence of him not being successful in swinging/bouncing conditions. So, I am not in a position to pass on any judgement on that. I'm certainly not gonna say that he's trash in such conditions. In fact, I'd rather be surprised if he turns out so in the future. Till then I'm gonna remember his two triple centuries, all his big centuries against the best of bowlers in the world in the last 5 years, including the missed double century in Australia, and the non-missed one against Murali and yet-to-be-read Mendis.

Another thing that I'm gonna do is to - enjoy watching test cricket with an uncluttered mind on Sunday mornings sitting on my sofa.

 

[tooextracool]

Yes, I rate Sehwag quite highly as well, and Im not saying that he is incapable of scoring runs in these conditions. However, I think his record over the past few couple of years needs to be looked at in context because hes scored in conditions that are most favorable to him. I think he'll do well but not nearly as well in England, NZ, South Africa etc and this will probably bring down that record that he has over the past couple of years. I'd be quite surprised if he was scoring 250 off 200 balls in England or SA tbh.

 

[Shri]

How many balls has he face in Eng, NZ, RSA anyway. If he has played more than 50 balls in any test I don't see him failing. Maybe he gets out too early to swinging stuff when he tries to go after the bowlers from ball one. When he has got his eye in he has not looked troubled by swing imo. His last two ODI knocks and the couple of hundreds in ODIs in NZ in 2002(in that series). Just a matter of time till he scores big in tests there.

 

[Black_Warrior]

The rate at which Sehwag scores his runs renders "flat-pitch" criticisms irrelevant, in any case. He makes up for the flatness of the pitch by giving his bowlers more time to take 20 wickets. Basically, he converts flat draw pitches into result pitches.

Ok let me say at the very onset that I do not believe that Sehwag is a flat track bully.

Having said that, I still think its a poor argument if you are arguing against the notion that Sehwag is a flat track bully. The rate at which he scores, and how much time he allows for his bowlers to take 20 wickets is absolutely irrelevant to whether he is a flat track bully or not.

If anything, your argument goes counter against Sir Alex's argument that the pitches are not flat because they produced results. Sehwag makes results possible because of the rate at which he scores. That doesn't change the nature of the pitch does it

So use a different argument buddy


Now back on the topic, I do not believe Sehwag is a FTB but thats because I probably have a different definition of FTB. Thilan Samaraweera is a FTB. Not Sehwag or Hayden.

But I still do not believe Sehwag is the best batsman in the world. The reason is his lack of footwork makes it very difficult for him to face the moving ball. When the ball moves, I have seen Masrafe Mortaza make him look like a fool.
Now is he the only batsman in the world who struggles against the moving ball? Hell no!

We saw how three top Australian batsmen, Ponting, Clarke and Hussey, all averaging over 50 looked helpless when Asif and Aamer were swinging the ball.

Over 90 % of the batsmen today would struggle against the moving ball. Sehwag is not an exception.

So the best batsman today is Tendulkar and Tendulkar alone with Lara gone. Maybe Ricky Ponting too a couple of years back, but not anymore.

 

[akilana]

The players we like are not flat track bullies, the rest all are.

 

[vcs]

Black_Warrior, point taken.

I meant to say that even though he scores the majority of his runs on batsmen-friendly wickets, he does it with a rate and volume that makes it easier to force a result. So, he's a very special kind of "flat-track bully", even if he hasn't succeeded much in tough conditions.

 

[andyc]

The players we like are not flat track bullies, the rest all are.

Nailed it.

 

[Black_Warrior]

The players we like are not flat track bullies, the rest all are.

Mathew Hayden and Virender Sehwag are far from being my favourite players.

 

[honestbharani]

No one has said this. The point is that unlike Agarkar, some of the players that we are comparing him with have scored runs all over the world. I think we're disrespecting the accomplishments of Clarke, Tendulkar and Sangakkara over the past few years by saying that Sehwag has been ahead of them.

You do understand Sehwag last played a test in England in 2002, right?

 

[vic_orthdox]

You do understand Sehwag last played a test in England in 2002, right?

He's not entirely faultless for that, though. Dropped for the last series due to form, yeah?