Ranji Trophy: Sehwag lights up the day

NEW DELHI: His helmet did not have the India logo as the BCCI now forbids domestic players from displaying the national logo on their gear. But Virender Sehwag's batting still has the aura and impact of a top class international player that he has been. Sehwag, facing an honest and hardworking Gujarat attack in the Ranji Trophy match at the Kotla on Monday, demonstrated why he commanded such high adulation.It wasn't a characteristic Sehwag mauling. Yet, his 105 on the second day of the game was more impactful than young Unmukt Chand's 105 earlier in the day. Sehwag was not flamboyant yet his class was written all over the innings as Delhi found themselves in a commanding position at stumps. Gujarat have already lost opener Samit Gohel after the hosts declared at 425 for six.
The elder statesman in Sehwag did more than just score a hundred on a low and slow pitch. Easing Unmukt through a tricky and anxious 90s was one of the key tasks he performed for Delhi on the day. The 21-year-old seemed to take forever to get to his milestone having resumed the day on 97. Unmukt was stuck on 99 for a good 20 minutes before Sehwag decided to put his wicket on the line by calling for a single after the youngster knocked the ball firmly to point. The monkey was off Unmukt's back.
Unmukt's innings had composure, strokes of flamboyance and determination in the right measure. But as Delhi's chief coach Vijay Dahiya said, "Unmukt is evolving as a batsman playing alongside Viru. Unmukt has learnt to value his wicket after talking to him."
As the young Delhi opener hit the nets straight after mistiming a pull off seamer Kushang Patel to the mid-on fielder, Sehwag took on the spinners. Once the seamers were taken off, it was as if he was making a statement - the spin of Jesal Karia and Pranjal Sutaria were never a threat to him. The crunching drives flowed even as veteran Mithun Manhas quietly made a 62-ball 44.
Sehwag was a bit subdued during the nineties. Perhaps, it was the pitch. Perhaps, it was the discipline in the bowling. Perhaps, it was about getting to a first class hundred after last scoring one in a Test match against England in Ahmedabad two years ago. But at 97, he shimmied to dispatch left-arm spinner Sutaria to the mid-wicket fence to bring on the cheers and the claps. Awave to the dressing room was all he did to celebrate the hundred. He then sashayed outside the leg-stump and hit the next ball to the extra cover boundary. He repeated the shot off the next ball only to lob it to extra-cover. That ended the highlight of the day.