Sehwag turns ‘draw’ on its head

Dragging his bat to the crease, the dressing room message to take it “session by session, don’t lose your wicket” on his back...

Dragging his bat to the crease, the dressing room message to take it “session by session, don’t lose your wicket” on his back, Virender Sehwag went on to give Brian Lara the scare of a lifetime at the Warner Park.

For over two hours on Monday, the morning after Lara turned the third Test upside down by opting not to enforce the follow-on, Sehwag took the West Indies skipper’s challenge head-on, power-starting a chase for victory that till yesterday had looked impossible. A match that was definitely heading towards a draw, or even an Indian loss, over four days had suddenly swung a different way on the final day.

Two dropped catches, eight boundaries, Chris Gayle down on his knees in the fourth over, Ramnaresh Sarwan sinking to the ground in agony after the second blooper 20 overs later, Sehwag lifting the bat towards his teammates after his 50, Lara chewing his fingernails at first slip: chasing 392 for a win in 90 overs, going into lunch at 109 for no loss, matching the asking rate of 4, that one session had everything you would want on the fifth day of any Test.

Even this one, where nearly a day was washed out, a debutant umpire decided to officiate in different languages midway, and a mammoth 581 from the West Indies over two-and-a-half days had the verdict ‘draw’ rising over the horizon.

But the first ball after lunch had Lara smiling again, for the first time after his bold gamble of not enforcing the follow-on and declaring at 172 for six today. Sehwag was gone for a 73-ball 65, lbw to the ever-accurate Corey Collymore, and India were back to repairing the road, a ring of seven fielders in an arc on the off-side, within handshaking distance.

Work was still in progress after tea, thanks to VVS Laxman’s half-century and Rahul Dravid. India were battling at 204 for two, 188 runs to go in 32 overs, still within a huge leap from an incredible win, class dripping from Laxman’s bat, resolve etched on that of his old mid-pitch associate.

Time to reach for the fingernails. And listen to Lara explain why he did what he did last evening. “We talked about doing what India had done to us in the previous games, putting runs on the board and putting pressure. That’s what happened. Getting 580-odd definitely put India on the back foot. India have to fight to get into a position of safety,” Lara said.

Story continues below this ad

So why not enforce the follow-on? “We don’t have specialist spinners who run up from two or three steps, who don’t exert too much energy. We’ve got fast bowlers. It’s a pretty tough surface to bowl on, and it’s necessary that they get the rest. It was always in the back of our minds, going back to bat and setting a total,” he said.

Win or no, it was a decision that turned the screws on India like Lara had hoped it would, going into the final Test in Jamaica on June 30. And win or no, India will have their own set of positives to carry over, other than Laxman’s glorious return to form. Pull out the scoresheets of the three Tests, scan the opening entries: 72, 159, 61, 109.

That’s the dream run of India’s new opening firm — one double century and two fifties from Jaffer, that stupendous 180 and another fifty from Sehwag. Surely, those numbers are enough to keep any Indian cricket fan going — at least till toss on the first day of the next Test.