What a pleasant bump.
:
I don't know if enough people read these analyses:
Centuries and Double Century breakdown by match result
Statistical breakdown of each's career after 25 matches, 50 matches and 66 matches
If anything, it should show you why you should not take this whole average thing as the messiah of comparing cricket.
For those who think Sehwag is nothing but a slogger, I have lost some respect for you (if I had any to begin with
). You really cannot slog your way to a triple century. Twice. The law of averages is squarely against you. And as if that doesn't take care of things, you have to look at the range of shots that Sehwag possesses. Sehwag has a gift of great hand-eye coordination and reflexes, like Hayden has a gift of great power and timing. And some of you guys are going around pretending like Hayden has never played a slog shot in his life. Did you even watch the recent tour of India? Hayden was trying to slog Zaheer over mid-wicket the first ball of the innings! Each has their own game... and why not play to your strengths? But why should Hayden's shot be characterized as an "impressive power shot" whereas Sehwag playing a similar stroke is characterized as a "dimwitted slog shot".
Now, for the part about India boasting a bowler who is the third highest wicket-taker in the world. So you are essentially comparing the 1100 wickets that Warnie and McGrath have among them at an average of about 23 to the 600-odd wickets that Kumble has at an average of about 29? Surely that should tell you a story in itself. Kumble's been a good bowler but he has been nowhere as lethal as Warne or McGrath. McGrath even averages less than Murali!
Finally, Ben you said that Sehwag will never score a gritty century. Let me show you the gritty centuries he has already scored:
1. In his
debut, Sehwag scored 105 against South Africa in South Africa, coming in at 68/4
2. Against Australia in
Adelaide just last January, Sehwag curbed his natural instinct to score a potentially match-saving 151 in the second innings after opening with Irfan Pathan (non-regular) and having to face a scoreboard that was essentially 140/6.
3. Against Australia in
Chennai about 4 years ago (rain robbed India of the game), Sehwag scored 155 in a game where the rest of the top order scored about 170, setting up an actual opportunity to win the game if Australia were bowled out.
4. In his first game in Australia (I believe) in
Melbourne, Sehwag scored 195 runs out of a total of 366, and smacked 5 sixes at the huge MCG ground.
5. Just six months ago against M&M at
Galle, Sehwag blasted a 201 out of a team total of 329 (where only 2 other batsmen got to double figures) to allow India to remain competitive going into the deciding test.
And all these weren't just "lucky" innings hit by some two-bit slogger. I agree that Hayden is better since his career is now finished. However, you can only really readdress this question once Sehwag is done. As I said way earlier in this thread, if you looked at Hayden's career pre-30's he looked pretty disappointing. He hit his prime and dominated world cricket in the last 8 years and is admittedly been the best batsman of this millennium. Sehwag has just hit that age now and it appears that he may have hit his prime now, as well.
