Sehwag's refusal to conform is part of his charm

Part of Sehwag's charm is his refusal to conform. It was illuminating when Sehwag told dashing David Warner he had the opportunity to be more effective as a Test player than as a T20 batsman because of the field placings in the longer game. This was when the pair were opening for Delhi in the IPL and it is confirmation that while Sehwag may have a lot of natural talent, his batting isn't totally devoid of thought.

We groan when Tendulkar cannot put away an impending landmark, we scream if Dravid cannot stage a comeback and cry when Laxman is dismissed during a chase. They were expected to do it, and didn’t. With Sehwag, anything he does is expected ... On one end, he averages 35 in one-dayers and has never understood a format created for him, T20. At the other, he is one of only four players to record two triple centuries in Tests and is India’s record holder for individual innings in Tests and one-dayers.

I’m not keen on comparisons, largely because they are unprovable, even with the aid of statistics — though they are often utilised as the framework of a persuasive case. Could Sehwag have smashed this 219 off that formidable 1984 West Indies pace attack, for instance?If he had, that would certainly have proclaimed him as one of the very greatest batsmen in history. It must be conceded that this Caribbean line-up is far from impressive. As it is, with his swag of Test match triple-centuries and double-centuries the chunky Indian opener already occupies a special place in the Hall of Champions.

Chaminda Vaas: What can I say about this genius. I bowled a lot to Sachin ( Tendulkar), Azhar ( Mohammed Azharuddin) and other Indians, but I found nobody more difficult to stop. When he [Sehwag] gets going, he’s got the calibre to score big hundreds. He’s never satisfied. He’s a player who can make a lot of runs in whatever format or conditions.

Sehwag has the highest, secondhighest and third-highest Test scores by an Indian. He also now holds the record for the highest individual oneday score in history. His Test average is over 50, his one-day strike-rate is touching 105 ... When he gets to three figures, he makes it count: the average for his 100+ scores in Tests is 184.71; in one-dayers, the corresponding figure is 147.84. You don’t need stats to prove he’s a match-winner but here’s one anyway: In ODIs, 14 of his 15 tons have won India the match. In Tests, which India has won, Sehwag averages 57.16; when you combine that with a career strikerate of 82, the numbers take [on] a new meaning.

See ball, hit ball. He might be on 150 or zero. Modern day crickets rate athleticism highly and are ever eager to talk about hitting the gym. Our hero waddles around with a pudgy figure which bespeaks a rich diet of milk, butter and paneer, which the Jat wrestlers in the Najafgarh area of Delhi where he grew up swear by. In times where cricketers are forever in the public gaze and depend upon reputation consultants and diction coaches to burnish their image, he hardly cares for political correctness.