Why Sehwag is so poor in ODIs compared to tests
He tries to play too aggressively in one dayers. A strike rate of 96 v 76 may not sound that big a difference but it is actually more than 20 percent more attacking play. That obviously means going out of the areas where Sehwag feels comfortable which means that he plays far more get out shots in one dayers.
Sehwag’s natural game gives him a S/R of 76 while for most players, it would result in a S/R of 40-65. That will give you lower averages in one dayers. This does not mean that Sehwag will not have as many get out shots when he tries to play shots he normally wouldn’t in tests.
Another aspect is that when opening the batting in one dayers, he feels the respnsibility to play shots as soon as possible rather than settling down a bit. If you aren’t adjusted to the bounce of the pitch, there is always a high chance of getting out. Maybe batting in the middle order could be the perfect place for Sehwag. He can play out a few overs and then bat naturally and still play at a strike rate of over 75 - a great option for any team. So a position like number 4 is some thing I wouldn’t have mind trying at. However, he is not reliable/consistent enough and so number 3 seems the better position (some thing like 5 or 6 is too late as he isn’t really a slogger). Dravid’s reliability can be a great asset at 4.
So ideally, (I say ideally because the given is very unlikely) I would have the first five as:
Tendulkar
Ganguly
Sehwag
Dravid
Yuvraj
Sehwag always says that he focuses on playing his natural game in whichever form of cricket he plays. He plays in a systematic way which might appear erratic to a newer watcher of his game. It is true that he plays best when he plays his natural game. It is also true that Sehwag is a rhythm player - a bit like Symonds. On his day, he can be destructive as he has shown so many times.
Again, it is much more evident in tests. 12 50s and 12 100s for Sehwag in tests shows that when he gets going in tests, he goes on to score big. This going on to score runs when he has settled to the bounce of the wicket is not evident in one dayers with only 7 100s compared to 24 50s. The getting out shots trying to play too aggressively which Sehwag does in ODIs is transparent when we look at that stat. He is never at ease in ODIs compared to tests because of the approach he takes in ODIs compared to tests despite seemingly looking the same when he bats in ODIs and tests.
Tags: Indian Cricket, Virender Sehwag.
