Is Virender Sehwag the need of the hour?

Zee Media Bureau/Chaian Papnai New Delhi: MS Dhoni-led Indian team has been struggling to put up big scores on the board while playing outside sub-continent. Batting failure in Test cricket is one of the major reasons India are performing miserably outside the sub-continent. In the recently concluded five-match Test series against England, Indian batsmen once again failed to put up a good show. In fact, England seamers – Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad – gave India`s top and middle order some sleepless nights. Listless Indian batting order had no answer to all the questions raised by the English seamers. They have created so many doubts in the minds of Indian batsmen like Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara – that they ceased to play like top-order batsmen. Indian batsmen failed to cope with the swing, seam and bounce throughout the series. For a batsman of Kohli`s stature, it was the worst series of his Test career, thus far. Pujara, who is trying to fill the big boots of Rahul Dravid at one-down, too looked hapless in English conditions, as his technique went for a toss. After initial success in the series, Indian opener Murali Vijay too, struggled with the bat. Whereas, Dhawan and Gambhir were clueless while facing the new ball. If the steep bounce gave Gambhir a tough time in the series, then Dhawan looked totally out of sorts. At a time when team India is struggling to find a solid opener for the overseas tour, dashing opener Virender Sehwag wouldn`t be a bad option at all. He has a fair experience of playing outside the sub-continent. More than that, he has proved his mettle while playing overseas against some big teams. The biggest plus with Viru is his positive frame of mind. Most of the times, his carefree and aggressive batting style works in his favour. At a time when Indian batsmen, especially the top order, are struggling to cope with the extra bit of swing and bounce, 35-year-old Sehwag can fit in the slot. And for the future tour of Australia, where Viru has a good track record, selectors can take this gamble, which might also revive his career.