Sehwag stands amidst ruins
Top class Test cricket can be ruthless like a pack of hungry wild dogs. If you can’t outrun them, you get devoured live. India’s depleted batting line-up realized that early on day-three.
Just 11 overs into the day’s proceedings and South Africans had achieved what they had set out for — Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay and Sachin Tendulkar were packed off by the Dale Steyn-Morne Morkel duo. India were left numb at 56 for 3.
Still, Virender Sehwag (63) and S Badrinath (21) ensured India went to lunch at 119 for 3.
Amidst early ruins, there stood Virender Sehwag — tall as ever. Unconcerned and unaffected by what was happening at the other end, he carried on the only way he’s been engineered to. It’s as much a pleasure as it is a mystery how this 31-year-old opener has kept his batting so simple and unrestrained. And now he has added another deadly ingredient to his batting — application.
When Steyn and Morkel were breathing fire, he stood there like a monk but wielded his willow like a virtuoso composer with a baton in the middle of a concerto. And not surprisingly runs were flowing like music.
Balls that pitched slightly away from the off-stump were seen off with utmost care, and when they pitched in his zone, they disappeared to the fence. No half measures for Sehwag.
Steyn, Morkel and Parnell were compulsively cut and driven and quite often fielders didn’t have time to react. They only fetched it from the boundary.
On one occasion, Parnell was straight driven to the fence before he could finish his follow through. Some of the cover drives appeared to have been fired from Bofors howitzer gun, such was the power and precision. A few drives even left Steyn, who was on fire, nodding his head in sheer disbelief and admiration.
Gambhir was snuffed out soon after he took his guard for the day. Perhaps his mind hadn’t yet made the connection with the feet. Morkel pitched his first ball on the good length area and the ball curved slightly away to make that faint contact with Gambhir’s unsure blade and traveled into the gloves of Mark Boucher. The latest run-machine on the block trudged back disappointed.
Next was Murali Vijay, who was castled with a beauty. He shouldered arms to Steyn’s delivery that pitched way outside the off-stump but jagged back enough to crash into the off stump. Vijay stood there for a moment in complete denial.
Sachin Tendulkar, who had been middling the ball to a nicety and looking good for a long haul, was packed off by a dream ball from Steyn. It came in, pitched up enough to draw the maestro into front foot and then moved away beautifully, taking a fine edge on its way to the keeper. Even a genius of Sachin didn’t have an answer to that extraordinary delivery. Clearly, the Steyn-Morkel combine had carried out the operation with a surgeon like precision to flatten the top-order.
