Virender Sehwag, who was once considered as leading the batting order of Indian

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Virender Sehwag, who was once considered as leading the batting order of Indian cricket team, has stepped upon the misfortunes and bad performances. His fate is bound to be the same as that of his successor Saurav Ganguli. Virender Sehwag or Veeru, as he is rightly called is all set for a glamorous exit from the Indian squad after a long haul of three years. I remember the series against Aussies in 2003 when Sehwag, the Nawab of Najafgarh was bowled, stumped out, caught, got run out; perhaps all kinds of dismissals in the cricket history. His batting was like following an instruction manual on how to get off the crease in International Cricket. His performance reflected the sorry state of Indian players overseas. And what followed was anybody’s guess. Five matches of the cricket tour and he was quietly dropped for a less experienced Deep Dasgupta, who didn’t prove to be of much help anyways. Sehwag’s pathetic performance in Australia was just a beginning of all that followed later. He kept coming back and kept leaving the side, much like the guests who come and leave at a marriage celebration. On the way he picked some exuberant innings, unmatched in the history of game. There were innings like the one in which he knocked 309 runs against Pakistan and on their own soil, or the one in which he scored 215 against the Kiwis in New Zealand. The numbers and his good innings kept on decreasing as the matches went by and the probability of his taking in and out of the squad kept on increasing. The same was witnessed on Monday when the selectors hit the death nail for Sehwag and he was declared what is popularly called "short of his ground.” From a player who used to bat at sixth position he rose to open the batting order (the only stable opener India has had since a long time). Batting on all possible combinations with all possible players, from bigwigs like Tendulkar, Ganguly to lads like Dhoni & Gambhir he did manage to stick to the side for quite some time but his position always seemed dicey and his exit was a foregone conclusion. In him India also found a reliable Vice Captain, who at least cleverly managed the side in the absence of Dada (Saurav Ganguly) and the present skipper Dravid. But when stalwart like Ganguly can be shown the exit door for not performing well, so can be his deputy. Sehwag started his international career quite early when he was selected for the Indian XI that crushed New Zealand on their home turf in the winter of 2000. As a fresher from Under 19 squad, which put up a great show in the World Cup, he promised to be a resolute youngster and a promising cricketer and he did for some time. He represented Delhi in domestic cricket and made sure that Delhi achieved it’s rightful place in National Cricket. It was virtually unbeatable with Veeru at it’s helm of affairs just before he got into the Indian squad. Apart from being a world class hitter of the ball Sehwag also did little wonders with the ball. His off spin did come in handy at various occasions but his bat failed him all the same. If there were any player who got enough leverage or patronage under the captaincy of Ganguly, it would undoubtedly be Sehwag. Had Greg Chappell been the coach then or Rahul Dravid the captain of the Indian team at that time, Veeru would have been shown the door long back. But as the saying goes: "If wishes were horses then beggars would ride.” Whatever be the popular opinion, it will take a long time for him to be recalled in the side to take guard and lead the front, as he will have to put all his might to make his presence felt once again in the international arena. Till then let him hit some fours, some sixes, score some fine hundreds, take some good wickets, take some special catches against Gujarat, Bihar & Bengal and I’m sure the Nawab of Najafgarh would be back by the team when 16 princes are announced for the mahasangram (big fight) of cricket — the 2007 World Cup.