Why? Why why why why!??

[satishg]

well i think he looks ODIs in a different perspective..if he jus plays like the way he plays test match cricket he shd be fine..he keeps thinking abt field changes,run rate and all crap..well he is opening and the fielders are still inside the circle wen he plays..so if he stays for 10 overs then he shd be around 60 or so if he plays his normal game..i think dhoni needs to tell him that and not to ask him to be patient or stay for 30 overs or so..play the same way as u play in test matches shd be the advise given to veeru and he will succeed..

[CC1981]

Veeru's problem in ODIs is two-fold- one, as he himself admits, there are way too many parameters for him to worry about and two, that he isn't a great placer of the ball or a nudger of it. He bludgeons the ball like he wants to break it and in tests, his mediocre ball placement isn't an issue- he doesnt face as much defensive fields in tests and his scoring channels are not plugged up as in ODIs. If Sehwag learns to play with soft hands, he can be a deadly ODI player, since he could place the ball for singles and not get all frustrated when his boundaries are dried up. Indian fans would do well to remember that Sehwag isn't the first of his kind, who has an explosive game but somehow does much better in Tests than ODIs- he is a lot like Michael Slater ( just a better version of Slater), who also had an explosive game suited for ODIs but somehow did much better in Tests than in ODIs. The difference is, while Slater was simply good in Tests and pathetic in ODIs, Sehwag is amazing in Tests and merely adequate in ODIs. And frankly, i am happy with Sehwag the way he is- think of it this way, would you have it the other way round, where he is an excellent ODI player but a mediocre Test player ? Well, in that case you'd have a Chris Gayle...

[CC1981]

well i think he looks ODIs in a different perspective..if he jus plays like the way he plays test match cricket he shd be fine..he keeps thinking abt field changes' date='run rate and all crap..well he is opening and the fielders are still inside the circle wen he plays..so if he stays for 10 overs then he shd be around 60 or so if he plays his normal game..i think dhoni needs to tell him that and not to ask him to be patient or stay for 30 overs or so..play the same way as u play in test matches shd be the advise given to veeru and he will succeed..[/quote'] You CANT play the same way in ODIs as you'd in tests ! How can you play the same way when the field setting is different ? Yes, in ODIs, in the first 10 overs, there are fielders inside the circle, but they arn't deployed in a '3 slips, gully, cover' format...there is only one slip at most in ODIs and even that slip is gone after the first few overs...and with the fielding restriction, it means a lot more men are posted in FRONT of the bat than BEHIND the bat and it sure makes a helluva big difference when batting! Another thing about Sehwag is that his natural style is not to improvise like Sachin or Dravid can, he plays the ball on its merits- yes, it may come as a shock to some of you, since he scores at such a furious pace in Tests, but he doesn't take on balls he can't score off of in Tests- the thing is, in Tests, Sehwag can let 3 balls fly by and bludgeon a four but in ODIs, he can't follow that MO because a) 4s are harder to score in ODIs and the three dot balls is 3 out of 300 that are gone..... Plus, if you notice, Sehwag likes the room to play his strokes- his signature strokes are the cut, the cover drive and the 'hathora whack' through point. All these shots require the ball to be pitched on off stump and moving away or in the 'outside offstump ' channel. In Tests, pace bowlers follow this line fanatically, since it will force the batsmen to drive and induce edges for the slip cordon to lap up. But in ODIs, bowlers bowl a lot tighter, with far less room for Waggy to free his arms...and that he isn't very strong on the legside means if you keep plugging away at middle/offstump line with fielders posted to intercept his swish to square-leg, Waggy will get frustrated and do something stupid. I don't think this problem is rectifiable really,since Sehwag isnt a newcommer who can change a lot of his game and that 150+ ODIs have proved beyond a shadow of doubt that he is a limited ODI bat. But all in all, he shouldn't be written off in ODIs and there CAN be a place for him in the lineup. For at the end of the day, Sehwag scores at 31-32 average with 95+ strike rate in ODIs. That is decent from an opener, PROVIDED there is a very strong opener and a #3 to give Sehwag the 'license to fail'. But India hasn't really had that luxury- if they had a Hayden at other end ( we have this covered with Tendu) AND a Ponting to come one down ( this is where India is weak, the #3 post), Sehwag could essentially do a Gilly with the bat as an opener....and he is still young enough to have another 6-7 years of ODIs in him...if India develops an ODI team where we find a strong opener to replace Tendu and a strong |#3, Sehwag can become useful as a pinch-hitting opener. Ofcourse, realistically speaking, this isn't going to happen and Sehwag would have to polish up his bowling a bit to give the team some options- but he should look into this, since Sehwag can become an adequate ODI offie if he works at it IMO. If we get 7-8 overs out of him for 35-40 runs and a wicket to go along with his 31-32 average + 95+ strike rate batting, we'd essentially have another Jayasurya, which would be a big boon for India.

[fineleg]

cc, Why dont Test sides use the "odi field setting" even in Tests, for Sehwag and frustrate him and get him out? if that works best, then why set conventional Test field, where Sehwag is more comfortable!??

[cochise]

It's got to do with tempo. Test matches do not have a forced tempo whereas one-day matches do. In test matches, if you set such a field, the batsman can opt to wait for a more suitable delivery to play to beat the field...he adjusts his strategy and shot selection based on the field and has time to implement it... whereas in ODIs...you have to get on with it and take your chances. Tempo and predicatability of ODI innings make the difference.

[CC1981]

cc, Why dont Test sides use the "odi field setting" even in Tests, for Sehwag and frustrate him and get him out? if that works best, then why set conventional Test field, where Sehwag is more comfortable!??

Simply because you will NEVER be that successful getting batsmen out in TESTS if you set defensive fields. If you plug his scoring options by setting an ODI field,Sehwag will simply let more balls go and clobber the ones that tickles his fancy. Unlike in ODIs, playing out a maiden or two won't bother Sehwag the slightest in tests, unless its special circumstances (eg: chasing a total against the clock, batting furiously in the 3rd innings to set a competetive total etc.). In ODIs, playing out a maiden or two will seriously mess with Sehwag's mind. So setting an ODI field in tests would simply see Sehwag's 80-85+ strike rate through the innings go down to maybe 60-65 zone. Besides, the best bet against Sehwag is to get him early by getting him to drive ( cue: slips) or sneaking through a quick inswinger that beats him.

[Zakhmi]

You CANT play the same way in ODIs as you'd in tests ! How can you play the same way when the field setting is different ? Yes, in ODIs, in the first 10 overs, there are fielders inside the circle, but they arn't deployed in a '3 slips, gully, cover' format...there is only one slip at most in ODIs and even that slip is gone after the first few overs...and with the fielding restriction, it means a lot more men are posted in FRONT of the bat than BEHIND the bat and it sure makes a helluva big difference when batting! Another thing about Sehwag is that his natural style is not to improvise like Sachin or Dravid can, he plays the ball on its merits- yes, it may come as a shock to some of you, since he scores at such a furious pace in Tests, but he doesn't take on balls he can't score off of in Tests- the thing is, in Tests, Sehwag can let 3 balls fly by and bludgeon a four but in ODIs, he can't follow that MO because a) 4s are harder to score in ODIs and the three dot balls is 3 out of 300 that are gone..... Plus, if you notice, Sehwag likes the room to play his strokes- his signature strokes are the cut, the cover drive and the 'hathora whack' through point. All these shots require the ball to be pitched on off stump and moving away or in the 'outside offstump ' channel. In Tests, pace bowlers follow this line fanatically, since it will force the batsmen to drive and induce edges for the slip cordon to lap up. But in ODIs, bowlers bowl a lot tighter, with far less room for Waggy to free his arms...and that he isn't very strong on the legside means if you keep plugging away at middle/offstump line with fielders posted to intercept his swish to square-leg, Waggy will get frustrated and do something stupid. I don't think this problem is rectifiable really,since Sehwag isnt a newcommer who can change a lot of his game and that 150+ ODIs have proved beyond a shadow of doubt that he is a limited ODI bat. But all in all, he shouldn't be written off in ODIs and there CAN be a place for him in the lineup. For at the end of the day, Sehwag scores at 31-32 average with 95+ strike rate in ODIs. That is decent from an opener, PROVIDED there is a very strong opener and a #3 to give Sehwag the 'license to fail'. But India hasn't really had that luxury- if they had a Hayden at other end ( we have this covered with Tendu) AND a Ponting to come one down ( this is where India is weak, the #3 post), Sehwag could essentially do a Gilly with the bat as an opener....and he is still young enough to have another 6-7 years of ODIs in him...if India develops an ODI team where we find a strong opener to replace Tendu and a strong |#3, Sehwag can become useful as a pinch-hitting opener. Ofcourse, realistically speaking, this isn't going to happen and Sehwag would have to polish up his bowling a bit to give the team some options- but he should look into this, since Sehwag can become an adequate ODI offie if he works at it IMO. If we get 7-8 overs out of him for 35-40 runs and a wicket to go along with his 31-32 average + 95+ strike rate batting, we'd essentially have another Jayasurya, which would be a big boon for India.

nice commendations and recommendations...I do agree to them! reps added CC

[Ram]

Can the Mods please edit the OP to add a poll on whether Sehwag should open in ODIs ? P.S - If Finey is ok with the addition, that is.

[fineleg]

Can the Mods please edit the OP to add a poll on whether Sehwag should open in ODIs ? P.S - If Finey is ok with the addition, that is.

poll added as per MM's request

[Ram]

^ Thanks.

[Desi Cartman]

I think he should open ... either him or GG with SRT .. once SRT retires then VS and GG

[graphic23]

I think it would be better if Sehwag came it at #5 rather than opening. Usually, these days ODIs have become predictable in that first 10-15 overs they attack, then they are quiet until 35-40 overs, and for the last 10-15 overs, they attack and try to get as many runs as possible. If until 20 overs, say Sachin, Gambhir, and Uthappa can hold fort and score as many runs as possible, if Sehwag can come into those middle overs, then the ball will be old, and he can score as much as possible because the Powerplays are done. Furthermore, if he can stay until 35-40 over time, then he can be devastating in the last 10 overs because he is very good at innovative shots as well classical ones. I think thats a good enough rationale for him to come at #5 because he obviously feels very restricted as an opener.

[fineleg]

Not enough votes. I encourage folks to vote (so MM can get to see more meaningful data). So far 56% have voted for non-opener position

[Chandan]

I'll still like him to open. Sachin's days are almost numbered as ODI opener. We need a suitable replacement. Only Sehwag can provide that. And he just needs to learn how to tackle with the ODI field placement. I'm sure he'll find a solution to this trouble as well.

[cochise]

Open. New ball, up front, coming onto bat, initial momentum to side batting...opposition on backfoot straight away, leading bowlers demoralised. Can take game away due to these factors.