IPL 2014: The Expendables - 5 players who can make a comeback to Team India

3. Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag

8,586 Test runs at average of over 49 and over 16,000 international runs. You must be a pessimist and more criminally a novice in cricketing matters if you believe that Virender Sehwag amassed those astonishing numbers by swatting flies and having a casual approach to the game. Those numbers alone would guarantee him a place among the greats of the game.

It is true, as well as tragic, that Sehwag’s decline has been steep. The decline has been frequently put down to his denial to accept a more moderate approach to the game against his natural flair and aggression. Technical flaws have also been creeping into his game due to the weakening hand-eye coordination that served him throughout his career, which have in turn led to lack of success in foreign conditions that require greater application and footwork. Moreover, Sehwag has put himself in two minds by considering a move to the middle order where he feels he can make a greater impact.

Sehwag hasn’t been retained by the Delhi Daredevils, but the Indian Premier League would be at a loss if the franchises do not bid for an entertainer like the butcher of Najafgarh. His performance in the last IPL edition was inconsistent, but also exemplified why he is a match-winner on his day.

The way forward for Sehwag is to recover a productive state of mind, bring back the self-belief and work on weeding out the creeping technical flaws from his game. Every cricket supporter who enjoys watching uninhibited attacking play will be hoping that Sehwag takes the bull by its horns in the upcoming edition of the IPL.