Miracle man Viru keeps working his magic

When Gary Kirsten took charge of the Indian team for the series against South Africa last year, plotting to defeat the country he represented as a player wasn't the only thing making him edgy. The fact that Virender Sehwag had a miserable outing the last time the two sides met and had been dropped against Australia in the previous series meant the coach also expected to encounter a starting problem.

But a 319 in his first innings in the opening Test meant Kirsten's initiation was smooth. Though it wasn't a match-winning knock, but Sehwag's return to form helped the coach dream big. Subsequently, Kirsten spoke about putting a process in place that would make India the best team in the world. It seemed apt that the day his mission was achieved, Sehwag was holding a couple of trophies in hand for being chiefly responsible for helping hasten the process.

While Gautam Gambhir's surreal run-streak has been a stand-out feature of India's batting show in recent times, Sehwag's big knocks have unerringly coincided with India's wins in the last two years.

Kirsten remembers last year's triple hundred. "The 300 that he got last year was entertaining, but even when Viru gets 40 it is an exciting knock. He adds massive value to our team because even if he is getting out for a low score, he does it at such a quick rate," he said.

Sehwag's contribution has been crucial in six of the eight wins under Kirsten. In the last three Test wins against Sri Lanka, his contribution has been 201, 131 and 293. When India were chasing 387 against England in the fourth innings, his 83 from 68 balls set the platform. And when India won 2-0 against Australia, he scored 35 and 90 at Mohali and 66 and 92 at Nagpur respectively.

On Sunday, Indian skipper MS Dhoni tried to make those outside the dressing room understand the miracle man. "He plays Test cricket in a very different way and his mentality is different. The way he goes into a game is also very different. I think he is one of a kind," he said.

With things still not clear, Dhoni continued. "If he is not feeling well about his innings, he will give a bit of time to the bowlers but before long he gets back in the groove and starts hitting them. He is a very aggressive cricketer; at the same time, he is a very thinking cricketer but his formula works only for him. He is very talented and one of the best I have seen when it comes to Tests," he said.

There was a collective shaking of heads in the packed media room. The miracle man's mystery continues to endure.