Former Sri Lankan skipper Sanath Jayasuriya has spoken out in support of India’s veteran batsman Virender Sehwag, who has been criticised for slowing down with age, claiming the right-hander is a “match-winning” player for his team.
“I find it difficult to understand why people criticise a match-winner like Sehwag. He is an impact player,” Jayasuriya pointed out. “Sehwag will not score 80 or 100 everyday but whenever he scores at least 70 at the top of the order, be rest assured that India will win matches more often than not.
“I still don't know why a few failures always raise this question of age being a factor,” he went on to add. “A couple of failures don't suddenly make you old. If one is fit and motivated, age is not a factor.”
Issues with senior players emerged as a concern for the Indian team earlier this year during their tour of Australia, when a rotation policy was put into effect for the older players in the squad, among them Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, and Sehwag. While the policy attracted a fair amount of criticism, and was ultimately shelved, age has been bought up as a key factor whenever the more senior players have failed to deliver.
Presently a part of India’s T20 squad in the ongoing ICC World Twenty20 2012, 33-year-old Sehwag, who is due to turn 34 next month, has found himself the target of similar criticism, owing to a patchy phase he is recently undergoing.
The top-order batsman was ruled out of the 2009-10 World T20 owing to a shoulder injury, and in the last 11 T20Is he played, Sehwag has only managed one half-century (a 64 against Sri Lanka in Mohali during December 2009).
In the recent tournament, he has registered scores of 12 and 26 (against Sri Lanka and Pakistan respectively) in the warm-up matches prior to the mega event, and was dismissed on 8 during India’s first group stage match on September 19, against Afghanistan.
While his recent performances have been a cause for concern, Sehwag has an undeniable reputation as a builder of massive scores for his side, which is bound to make team management think twice when it comes to the question of excluding him from the XI.
The right-hander holds the record for the highest number of Test double-centuries by an Indian player, in addition to the record for most runs in an ODI innings – 219 against the West Indies in 2011, during which smashed 7 sixes and 25 fours.
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