The Sehwag threads [Merged]

[Guest HariSampath]

The continued omission of Virender Sehwag from the Indian test squad , to the extent he is not even included in a probables list of 24 is an amazing show of lopsided priorities by the selection committee. Just take a look at Sehwag's claims to the test side based on his record, as well as the claims of others. The funny thing is arguments are as twisted as are "facts" that Sehwag has "failed"; while completely different standards are applied to those who are supposed to have "succeeded", for example Dinesh Karthik. Sehwag was dropped from the Indian team after the world cup debacle, in fact he was dropped from tests and NOT ODIs, as we all know, on the tour to Bangladesh. Take Sehwag's overall test record. 4000 plus runs averaging 50 In the last 13 Innings that Sehwag played in tests, all of them overseas, in which he was supposed to have failed, Sehwag has averaged 35. Hardly a case for calling him a failure ! In contrast, our so called new find Dinesh Karthik averages just 30 in his last 10 test innings, and he is claimed to be the choice to partner Jaffer ? How ? Dinesh Karthik's overall test average is just 31, just compare this with Sehwag. If a seasoned and proven matchwinning batsman like Sehwag with a 50 test average can be dropped after averaging 35 in his last 13 test inngs, what about Karthik then ? Apart from these stats, lets take a look at some qualitative stats against specific opposition, specific grounds etc ( like against pakistan, in Aus etc). If the criteria of horses for courses were to be applied, then Sehwag with a 90 avg against Pakistan should have been a shoo in to the test squad, but he was strangely ignored. If the criteria for considering Akash Chopra is that he has done well against Australia there, then No opener has as good a record in Australia as Sehwag, he averages 54 in the 5 tests he played in Australia. Wasim Jaffer , who of late has evolved into a very good opener, it must be remembered has never ever been tested against Australia. In fact how many people remember that Jaffer made his test debut before Sehwag ? He has been around for 7 seasons, and only in the last few tests has he succeeded in establishing himself. He had been given a very long tenure, and even now his overall test record is not spectacular despite his recent big scores against BD, Eng and Pak. He averages 39 in tests still, clearly no comparision with Sehwag. Lets take the case of Gautham Gambhir, considered by many as an "almost certainty". Gambhir has just played 13 tests in the last 3-4 seasons and averages 36 in tests, overall. take a look at his record in tests against serious teams ( if we just exclude Bangladesh and Zimbabwe for a moment). Gambhir has played 9 tests against Aus, SA and Pakistan and averages a miserable 24 ! Alternative to Sehwag ? No way !! Gambhir's overall average in tests is just about Sehwag's in his so called failure of last 13 test inngs ( this is when we include Gambhir's scores against Zim and BD, mind you). Now, lets take Akash Chopra. He is a comprehensive and miserable failure in test cricket as any can be. With a career aggregate of 437 in 10 test matches, with an average of 23, I cannot even imagine how he can be considered based on a couple of Ranji innings ! Apparently a lot of misguided nostalgia and sentiment is at work here, and arguments are being put forth that "Akash Chopra will succeed because he has done so before in Australia". Nonsense. Chopra has scored just 186 runs in an entire series down under averaging 23.25 ! Look at the real facts and figures from any point of view, record careerwise, recent tests played, tests played in particular conditions ( like in Aus) etc...the facts speak out loud and clear, in fact in this case stats too shout loud and clear. There is simply NO WAY anyone can question the fact Virender Sehwag is the automatic choice as a test opener, and all the others don't hold a candle to him. Experiencewise too Sehwag is far ahead of the others, having been a much better success against SA, Aus etc when playing there. Qualitatively speaking, Virender Sehwag is well known to notch up big hundreds in a very aggressive manner, a key factor for India to play to win and put pressure on Australia. I cannot see any opener who has the ability to do this against quality bowling. Speaking more technically too, in the pitches down under, it is batters who play the cut and pull stroke who will have greatest chances of success, and here too Sehwag scores over all other batters. Virender Sehwag's case is a brazen one of selectors ignoring every single cricketing logic in making test selections and apparently cricket is not an issue at all here, as can be seen from all the above facts and figures.

[kumble_rocks]

Very good post ! . Sehwag was dropped after just one bad SA series. It's more a case of personal vendetta by the Mad Colonel and going by the recent developments , the trend is going to continue. For no reason, Laxman was stripped of vice captaincy and moved down the pecking order and me thinks Colonel had a hand even in this . BTW, looks like Sehwag no longer has the confidence to play the pull shots.I can't remember him playing that shot with ease anymore.

[chamatkar]

One word .. Technique.

[Guest HariSampath]

Only 4 players in India average above 50 while playing tests in Australia. Laxman : 59 Dravid : 56 Tendulkar : 54 Sehwag : 54 Even Ganguly averages 38

[Guest HariSampath]

One word .. Technique.

All the technique in the world is for results. One word answer : Runs

[The Outsider]

Agree with you on all counts Hari, except Chopra. Given the instructions he was batting under it is unfair to judge him solely on numbers and with Sehwag at the other end it made sense and bred success. Problem is he was dropped after one bad test at Lahore which shattered his confidence. He has shown he can score big runs and deserves a chance not ahead of Sehwag but certainly ahead of the likes of Gambhir. It is crucial to see off the first 30 overs of the Kookaburra and Chopra offers our best chance to do so.

[chamatkar]

Hari, please take a look at Sehwag's domestic "runs" record over the past two years. Does form count in your book? Or is just "history"?

[Chandan]

Hari, please take a look at Sehwag's domestic "runs" record over the past two years. Does form count in your book? Or is just "history"?

Chamatkar, Please take a look at at the scores of Laxman in the two Ranji matches that he played prior to the present test series. Also take a look at Ganguly's scores in Ranji as well as CC just before he was called back in SA. What does that tell you? That form is temporary and class is permanent. The same applies to Sehwag too.

[sm332]

Chamatkar, Please take a look at at the scores of Laxman in the two Ranji matches that he played prior to the present test series. Also take a look at Ganguly's scores in Ranji as well as CC just before he was called back in SA. What does that tell you? That form is temporary and class is permanent. The same applies to Sehwag too.

could not agree more ... this is a travesty that we have destroyed the confidence and career of our best opener since Gavaskar .. what for?

[Chaos]

Hari, please take a look at Sehwag's domestic "runs" record over the past two years. Does form count in your book? Or is just "history"?

chamatkar cracks a chamatkar joke :cantstop::hysterical:

[Predator_05]

I don't care about all these bullsh it averages. In Sehwag's case, they are inflated by the 254 and 180. Take out those two knocks and let's see how that average looks. He wasn't even making double figures most of the time. If it was all about stats, why do we even have selectors ? Just get a bunch of numbnut statisticians and make them pick the team. The way you pick a squad for a tour is simple - the players who are in form should get the nod ahead of anyone else. If nobody was in form, then Sehwag could have been brought back like Ganguly was prior to the SA series. Sehwag can't even score runs for Delhi at the moment, and people expect him to score big in Australia ? Whatever. Plenty of other Indian batsmen are scoring runs right now, so there is no need to look at Sehwag - regardless of what his past record is like.

[Dravid]

[Dravid]

I don't care about all these bullsh it averages. In Sehwag's case, they are inflated by the 254 and 180. Take out those two knocks and let's see how that average looks. He wasn't even making double figures most of the time. If it was all about stats, why do we even have selectors ? Just get a bunch of numbnut statisticians and make them pick the team. The way you pick a squad for a tour is simple - the players who are in form should get the nod ahead of anyone else. If nobody was in form, then Sehwag could have been brought back like Ganguly was prior to the SA series. Sehwag can't even score runs for Delhi at the moment, and people expect him to score big in Australia ? Whatever. Plenty of other Indian batsmen are scoring runs right now, so there is no need to look at Sehwag - regardless of what his past record is like.

:two_thumbs_up:

[Guest HariSampath]

Domestic record is more important for players trying to make an entry into the Indian side. My point is that Sehwag doesn not even remotely belong to this category, as he is a proven international player. If Sehwag's "domestic form " over last 2 seasons is the sole criterion, then can we apply the same thing to all bowlers and batters ? Both in tests and ODIs ? Sehwag should have never been dropped from the Indian side, in any format. He is an automatic choice in any Indian 11, he has proved so beyond all doubts in all circumstances. If domestic record over last 2 seasons is by itself the selection criterion, then should we select Badrinath over Ganguly ? or should we select R Ashwin the offspinner over Harbhajan Singh ? How many domestic hundreds has VVS Laxman scored in last 2 seasons ? What about Dinesh Karthik's career first class avg of 32 ? or Karthik's domestic record last 2 seasons as a batsman ? If current form is the issue, see what Sehwag has done in ODIs T20 etc as he has not played any tests for 10 months. In cases of players like Sehwag , we have to remember what Gavaskar said " form is temporary, class is permanent", and Sehwag is a class act and has been acknowledged as such the world over.

[Guest HariSampath]

I don't care about all these bullsh it averages. In Sehwag's case, they are inflated by the 254 and 180. Take out those two knocks and let's see how that average looks. He wasn't even making double figures most of the time. If it was all about stats, why do we even have selectors ? Just get a bunch of numbnut statisticians and make them pick the team. The way you pick a squad for a tour is simple - the players who are in form should get the nod ahead of anyone else. If nobody was in form, then Sehwag could have been brought back like Ganguly was prior to the SA series. Sehwag can't even score runs for Delhi at the moment, and people expect him to score big in Australia ? Whatever. Plenty of other Indian batsmen are scoring runs right now, so there is no need to look at Sehwag - regardless of what his past record is like.

so according to your logic, if KKD cant even score runs against a half baked Pak attack at home on pitches where the ball doesn't come upto the knee, should he even be playing for India now... and what else to say about Australia ?? KKD shouldn't even be in the reckoning . So your logic is that the Gautam gambhirs and Akash Chopras and Karthiks , can be expected to score against Tait, Lee and others on Australian pitches because they have scored runs on Indian pitches against our ranji bowlers.....please...

[ludhianvi]

actually, Sehwag was taken out of the test team due to poor odi form this year. But a stat on TV showed that this year he has averaged like 38 in ODIs, which is one of his best years. So Go Figure......

[Predator_05]

so according to your logic' date=' if KKD cant even score runs against a half baked Pak attack at home on pitches where the ball doesn't come upto the knee, should he even be playing for India ?[/quote'] If he can't score in this series, i'd contemplate dropping him. But he still has one test left to redeem himself - if he does well at Bangalore, he has earned the right to continue as an opener

[Guest HariSampath]

If he can't score in this series' date=' i'd contemplate dropping him. But he still has one test left to redeem himself - if he does well at Bangalore, he has earned the right to continue as an opener[/quote'] Why ? so following your logic, even if he gets 100 in this test, I can say " KKD averages 25 in the last 3 tests against a mediocre Pakistan attack at home, and that was largely inflated by one 100. Take that away and he is crap" ... agreed ?

[Guest HariSampath]

Sehwag, even in his worst run of forms, last had scores of 31, 65, 33 and 40 among his last 8 inngs or so. If this merited dropping him, how come Karthik should be playing now ? The bottoom line is Sehwag at his worst is better than the Karthiks, Gambhirs and Chopras at their best.

[Predator_05]

Why ? so following your logic' date=' even if he gets 100 in this test, I can say " KKD averages 25 in the last 3 tests against a mediocre Pakistan attack at home, and that was largely inflated by one 100. Take that away and he is crap" ... agreed ?[/quote'] No, because that isn't my logic. Sehwag played poorly for one full season, not just 3 tests.