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DAMBULLA: Virender Sehwag’s one-day career has been a riddle. One of t he rarest Test batsmen of all time has found consistency harder to come by in the shorter formats of the game, but now there are indications he is on the verge of turning that around.

Sehwag’s case is perplexing because he opens in both formats, is known for his spectacular strokeplay and scoring rate, yet hasn’t done justice to himself in the 50-over game.

A one-day average of 34.32 before Wednesday’s game, when he scored his 13th ODI ton, is no reflection of Sehwag’s immense match-turning prowess in the five-day game, where he has 21 hundreds and averages 20 points higher at 54.14.

The resourcefulness to notch up massive hundreds at breathtaking speed, with remarkable consistency, hasn’t been replicated at the ODI level. Until now.

There has been debate in the past over how Sehwag has found it difficult to temper his strokeplay in ODIs, prompting the likes of Sunil Gavaskar to suggest he should play like he does in the five-day game. In Dambulla, Sehwag has risen to the task. Has it been a sense of responsibility, with Tendulkar and Gambhir absent and a middle-order either floundering or out of form? Or has it purely been a case of enjoying the tougher conditions?

He now averages 80 from four games, with one 110 and an unbeaten 99, and India have looked like a one-batsman team. The 99 not out, in particular, was an innings of radical restraint in a pressure situation batting under lights. Amazingly, he has now scored 41% of India’s runs in this tournament.

Trust Sehwag, though, to totally dismiss debate on the discrepancy between his Test and ODI records. “I am not worried about that,” he said. “I just go out and try to enjoy my game. If I score, it will be good. If I can’t, I will try and score in the next game.”

Present him a theory and he will rubbish it. Is he being more meticulous out in the middle given the frailty in the lineup and the tough conditions? “Not really. If I take more strike, there is less chance of others getting out. Since I was in form, I thought I will score more than the others.” This honesty of approach masks an astute understanding of batting and its demands, besides almost paranormal mental aptitude to wipe out fear of failure.

Asked why the other batsmen had floundered in Dambulla’s bowler-friendly conditions, Sehwag said, “Everyone has a different style of batting. It’s very easy to say you should leave the ball or hit it according to its merit but its very difficult to react according to the merit of the ball. When I was young, there was confusion whether to hit or leave.” And then comes a glimpse of his unique batting philosophy: “It’s important to either play or leave rather than defend the ball.”

Maybe, just maybe, Sehwag doesn’t enjoy ODIs as much as Tests. Give him unlimited overs and he knows the structural possibilities are endless. It’s a case of too much ability the less gifted batsmen around him will never fathom.

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This post was submitted by Chinmaya Nayak.

Thanks to timesofindia.indiatimes.com