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Is Virender Sehwag an ATG?

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Uzair Gooner

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Without turning this thread into another of those India vs Pakistan thread, is he considered an ATG?

His approach towards opening the innings was a refreshing change but still his numbers outside Asia is pretty mediocre

A batting average of 27 in England, 20 in NZ and 25 in SA gives sorry readings
 
Lol. Even Sehwag doesn't consider himself an ATG

No one does
 
I leave out someone like Kumble from ATG list..
 
Well he is an ATG against Pakistan. I rate him higher than the fab 4 vs. us.
 
A very destructive player on his day especially in Asian conditions. In tests he did well at home especially but you have just posted his overseas record and its poor. Also in Odis he underachieved IMO. An average of 35 and 15 centuries is very disappointing for a player with his ability to take the game away from the opposition.

Not an ATG for me.
 
No but he is as good or slightly behind Hayden in tests.


Openers post 2000s:

Smith
Hayden
Sehwag/Cook

I gave Smith a slight edge due to his captaincy which is justifiable.
 
Very few players averaged less than 40 overseas after playing lot of matches.

n5pkyb.jpeg


He was good in Australia and West Indies. Scored a century on debut in SA. But after his game regressed after 2010.
 
If it's an All time XI specifically for playing in Asia, Sehwag would undoubtedly open in my version
 
A very destructive batsman but not an ATG

However, he was the biggest FTB that I have ever watched. On a flat track, he was the most destructive batsman I have ever watched. That I will give it to him.
 
He is....Sehwag has re-defined test match opening and completely changed the way the game is approached.He has single handedly revolutionized the way to open a test innings and playing the new ball.The usual 2.5 to 3 runs per over seemed slow after he came to the scenario. India with him on crease, were playing at 4 to 5 runs an over

For me from modern day openers only hayden comes close to him.From naked eyes a opener avg very close to 50 with strike rate over 80 and 8.5k was legendary stats in any yardsticks.Bw more than stats sehwag's impact was something else.Yes he had many flaws in technique but on song he was just unbelivable.I always wonder how the guy played so effortlessly in point-cover region with complete non existent footwork

He was widely criticized a lot for his approach but that was what made him virender sehwag and he always has a place in history even more than some players who has better record. The opposition fears his presence at the crease.He commands respect amongst one and all

One thing also he is one of the biggest destroyers of spin bowling i have ever seen and the most underrated too.While the whole legendary indian lineup looks cluless that 201 n.o against sri Lanka in galle with Murali and Mendis at their prime was outrageous
 
Hasan123 said:
A very destructive player on his day especially in Asian conditions. In tests he did well at home especially but you have just posted his overseas record and its poor. Also in Odis he underachieved IMO. An average of 35 and 15 centuries is very disappointing for a player with his ability to take the game away from the opposition.

Not an ATG for me.
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Not an underachiever for me....he's not so gifted as like many greats so didn't have that technique to survive tough conditions

Players like him solely depended on hand-eye co-ordinations thats why at the end of his carrier a sudden steep happends just because his sight is gone and so was that reflexes

Bw in his time avg of 35 for opener was pretty decent....that time i have seen many claiming Gilly as an ATG opener
 
Protea Fan said:
Not an underachiever for me....he's not so gifted as like many greats so didn't have that technique to survive tough conditions

Players like him solely depended on hand-eye co-ordinations thats why at the end of his carrier a sudden steep happends just because his sight is gone and so was that reflexes

Bw in his time avg of 35 for opener was pretty decent....that time i have seen many claiming Gilly as an ATG opener
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Yes he didn't have the technique but I think he could have done better in Odis. The way he played the game suited Odis perfectly especially with fielding restrictions. Maybe away from home his record isn't that great, but at home in Odis he should have got more centuries. It's surprising that he doesn't have 20 plus centuries in Odis.

Gilly was destructive, he revolutionised the way people perceive an wicketkeeper in Odis. So understandably he's considered an ATG.
 
Protea Fan said:
Not an underachiever for me....he's not so gifted as like many greats so didn't have that technique to survive tough conditions

Players like him solely depended on hand-eye co-ordinations thats why at the end of his carrier a sudden steep happends just because his sight is gone and so was that reflexes

Bw in his time avg of 35 for opener was pretty decent....that time i have seen many claiming Gilly as an ATG opener
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Gilly was a keeper as well which is why 36-37 for him works

Post 2000 which is when he played almost all of his cricket sub 40 isn't a great average by any stretch
 
Yes. He was the best at what he did, aggressive opener which set the tone of a match and was especially good against spin. There were of course better openers in non-asian conditions, but you can't have everything in a player.
 
Had he averaged in his 30's in Eng.NZ.SA i wouldve considered him an ATG.

However, he is the greatest batsman in SC conditions i've ever seen .
 
He was an impact player,can other ATG players bat aggressively as him and still maintain good average ? Probably not. People need to drop this ATG thing.
 
No, but he is a ATG Opener and legendary player. I mean an opening batsman who ended his career averaging near 50 and striking at 80+, over 100+ tests is insane.
 
He was a darn good batsman but he would just fall short of the ATG mark.

Surely an Asian great though.
 
Just for those who are curious here are his stats in each individual country

India Mat - 52 Runs - 4656 Ave - 54.13 SR - 83.42 100's - 13
Aus Mat - 11 Runs - 1031 Ave - 46.86 SR - 74.60 100's - 2
Pak Mat - 6 Runs - 732 Ave - 91.50 SR - 85.91 100's - 2
SL Mat - 6 Runs - 692 Ave - 69.20 SR - 95.71 100's - 3
SA Mat - 8 Runs - 382 Ave - 25.46 SR - 67.85 100's - 1
WI Mat - 4 Runs - 357 Ave - 51 SR - 86.44 100's - 1
Eng Mat - 6 Runs - 278 Ave - 27.80 SR - 64.50 100's - 1
NZ Mat - 5 Runs - 180 Ave - 20 SR - 97.29 100's - 0
Ban Mat - 4 Runs - 176 Ave - 35.20 SR 84.61 100's - 0
Zim Mat - 2 Runs - 102 Ave - 51 SR - 99.02 100's - 0
 
All time great player of spin. I'd have him in my all time XI as a reserve, who'd play if there was a spinning track or a flat pitch with no swing. He'd turn those draws into a win with his destructive batting.
 
Protea Fan said:
Not an underachiever for me....he's not so gifted as like many greats so didn't have that technique to survive tough conditions

Players like him solely depended on hand-eye co-ordinations thats why at the end of his carrier a sudden steep happends just because his sight is gone and so was that reflexes

Bw in his time avg of 35 for opener was pretty decent....that time i have seen many claiming Gilly as an ATG opener
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Not sure what do you mean by "in his time". Sehwag retired like 2-3 years ago? He played almost the entire 2000s and several openers of his time or before him averaged better than him. He was an impact player but an average of 35 is nothing special.
 
The only ATG batsmen according to me (post 1990):

SRT, Lara, Ponting, Dravid, Kallis and Sangakarra.

Rest all are borderline ATGs or a tier below.
 
Game changing impact bat, you got to look at his S/R to; he deserves to be called an arguable ATG.
 
Wouldn't say all time great, he started out well in South Africa on his debut tour, avging over 50, and roughly in the late 30's in ENG, however his trips afterwards to those countries told a sorry tale. He never rose to the occasion, however he did do well in Australia..
 
He was ATG to me, scoring runs at strike rate of 80 with average of 50 is ATG figure.
 
The_Odd_One said:
Not sure what do you mean by "in his time". Sehwag retired like 2-3 years ago? He played almost the entire 2000s and several openers of his time or before him averaged better than him. He was an impact player but an average of 35 is nothing special.
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Yes he almost payed the entire 2000 but at the start of the decade he was already finished i mean in 2010-2011 time

Most openers who consdered as good averaged merely 35-40 in these period isn't they

Gilly,smith,gayle,gibbs etc....bw i didn't consider him as a great in odi anyway but an high impact player indeed
 
Not an ATG but a very unique batsman. usually you need express quicks to take a flat pitch out of the equation and force a win. Or you need Sehwag who can score massive hundreds in very quick time and there was no one better in that regard.
 
Asian ATG for sure but not ATG and tbf how many are there in the last decade?
 
Easily. I can guarantee you that we will never see another batsman who can even come close to the way Sehwag played his Cricket. A SR of 82, with an average of 50 in Tests is unreal.
 
Nah but he's definitely one of my all-time favourites.

Let's all agree to ignore his attempts to tarnish his legacy via an appalling use of twitter.
 
No and every batsman can't be one but Viru created most impact with his innings like Galle, Chennai (2004 one also, when he fought fire with fire, you have to see Mcgrath, Warne , Gillespie face , they were surprised by Sehwag assault), only opener I can think of as Atg in last 20 odd years is Smith.
 
Navdeep Srivastava said:
No and every batsman can't be one but Viru created most impact with his innings like Galle, Chennai (2004 one also, when he fought fire with fire, you have to see Mcgrath, Warne , Gillespie face , they were surprised by Sehwag assault), only opener I can think of as Atg in last 20 odd years is Smith.
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Hayden?
 
street cricketer said:
The only ATG batsmen according to me (post 1990):

SRT, Lara, Ponting, Dravid, Kallis and Sangakarra.

Rest all are borderline ATGs or a tier below.
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What about Dravid I'm not sure if he was an ATG. His stats were fantastic never got to see him bat much though. Although when you look at his number those are amazing!

Would he be considered an ATG? (I'm not saying he is I'm just wondering if he is cause I honestly don't know)
 
QalandarFan said:
What about Dravid I'm not sure if he was an ATG. His stats were fantastic never got to see him bat much though. Although when you look at his number those are amazing!

Would he be considered an ATG? (I'm not saying he is I'm just wondering if he is cause I honestly don't know)
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Dravid IMHO is an ATG, because of his game abroad. Especially his contribution during our away wins.

Sehwag isn't an ATG. Just a bit below. Had he been a bit more consistent in one of England, NZ or SA, he would have been an ATG. He had one or two amazing innings in the these countries, but didnt end up having a great series at an point.
 
QalandarFan said:
What about Dravid I'm not sure if he was an ATG. His stats were fantastic never got to see him bat much though. Although when you look at his number those are amazing!

Would he be considered an ATG? (I'm not saying he is I'm just wondering if he is cause I honestly don't know)
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Atg, may be not like Lara, Punter or Sachin, but he was easily best after these players, Dravid high was among the very best of all time.
 
Navdeep Srivastava said:
Atg, may be not like Lara, Punter or Sachin, but he was easily best after these players, Dravid high was among the very best of all time.
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Sidilicious said:
Dravid IMHO is an ATG, because of his game abroad. Especially his contribution during our away wins.

Sehwag isn't an ATG. Just a bit below. Had he been a bit more consistent in one of England, NZ or SA, he would have been an ATG. He had one or two amazing innings in the these countries, but didnt end up having a great series at an point.
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Interesting that's what I thought, how can you not be an ATG with those numbers.
 
Only opener in the history of the game to average nearly 50 with a SR of 80 odd.If thats not an ATG I dont know what is.Changed the old fashioned way of opening
 
Sehwag was an ATG for his impact and match winning ability on flat, high scoring pitches and on low to mid scoring dust bowls too. Could demolish bowling attacks in a blink of an eye...
 
An Indian ATG.

He is clearly a class below the likes of real ATG's like Lara SRT, Ponting, Kallis, Gavaskar, Dravid etc.

I put Sehwag in the same class as Mark Waugh, Jayawardene, Hayden etc. Excellent players. But not ATG material.
 
I don't think he's an ATG. BUT he's an excellent player, one of the most destructive players of all time........
 
Not even close to being one. The dream batsman on Asian pitches and some of the flat roads occasionally found outside Asia but as everyone can tell, he was a walking wicket in conditions that favored pace bowling even a little bit.

Murali Vijay is a better batsman than Sehwag ever was.
 
Saurav said:
Only opener in the history of the game to average nearly 50 with a SR of 80 odd.If thats not an ATG I dont know what is.Changed the old fashioned way of opening
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Yes. He definitely changed it. The old fashioned way of openers batting like good, quality batsmen against pace bowling was changed to them batting like tailenders against pace bowling, in conditions that were not heavily skewed in favor of the batsman.

His legacy is made up of other hopeless openers like Nazir, Sharjeel, Dhawan, Guptill. Sehwag should be proud.
 
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Sehwag till 2010 was potential ATG. However after that his career nosedived alarmingly. Amazing strike rate in 2009 and 2010.

[table=width: 500, class: grid, align: center]
[tr][td]Sehwag [/td][td]Span [/td][td]Mat [/td][td]Runs [/td][td]Ave [/td][td]SR [/td][td]100 [/td][td]50 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Career [/td][td]2001-2013 [/td][td]104 [/td][td]8586 [/td][td]49.34 [/td][td]82.23 [/td][td]23 [/td][td]32 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]filtered [/td][td]2001-2010 [/td][td]86 [/td][td]7670 [/td][td]54.01 [/td][td]82.18 [/td][td]22 [/td][td]27 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Australia [/td][td]2003-2008 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]833 [/td][td]59.5 [/td][td]74.04 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Bangladesh [/td][td]2004-2010 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]176 [/td][td]35.2 [/td][td]84.61 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in England [/td][td]2002-2002 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]237 [/td][td]39.5 [/td][td]66.57 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in India [/td][td]2001-2010 [/td][td]41 [/td][td]4003 [/td][td]58.86 [/td][td]82.28 [/td][td]12 [/td][td]16 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in New Zealand [/td][td]2002-2009 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]180 [/td][td]20 [/td][td]97.29 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Pakistan [/td][td]2004-2006 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]732 [/td][td]91.5 [/td][td]85.91 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in South Africa [/td][td]2001-2010 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]358 [/td][td]27.53 [/td][td]71.17 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Sri Lanka [/td][td]2008-2010 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]692 [/td][td]69.2 [/td][td]95.71 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in West Indies [/td][td]2006-2006 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]357 [/td][td]51 [/td][td]86.44 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Zimbabwe [/td][td]2005-2005 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]102 [/td][td]51 [/td][td]99.02 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]home [/td][td]2001-2010 [/td][td]41 [/td][td]4003 [/td][td]58.86 [/td][td]82.28 [/td][td]12 [/td][td]16 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]away [/td][td]2001-2010 [/td][td]45 [/td][td]3667 [/td][td]49.55 [/td][td]82.07 [/td][td]10 [/td][td]11 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 2001 [/td][td] [/td][td]4 [/td][td]235 [/td][td]47 [/td][td]65.27 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 2002 [/td][td] [/td][td]10 [/td][td]637 [/td][td]39.81 [/td][td]72.63 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 2003 [/td][td] [/td][td]5 [/td][td]522 [/td][td]52.2 [/td][td]73.21 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 2004 [/td][td] [/td][td]12 [/td][td]1141 [/td][td]63.38 [/td][td]73.61 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]4 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 2005 [/td][td] [/td][td]8 [/td][td]785 [/td][td]60.38 [/td][td]78.42 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 2006 [/td][td] [/td][td]12 [/td][td]791 [/td][td]39.55 [/td][td]84.96 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 2007 [/td][td] [/td][td]1 [/td][td]44 [/td][td]22 [/td][td]83.01 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 2008 [/td][td] [/td][td]14 [/td][td]1462 [/td][td]56.23 [/td][td]85.84 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]6 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 2009 [/td][td] [/td][td]6 [/td][td]631 [/td][td]70.11 [/td][td]108.98 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 2010 [/td][td] [/td][td]14 [/td][td]1422 [/td][td]61.82 [/td][td]90.8 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]8 [/td][/tr]
[/table]
 
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Bilal7 said:
Not even close to being one. The dream batsman on Asian pitches and some of the flat roads occasionally found outside Asia but as everyone can tell, he was a walking wicket in conditions that favored pace bowling even a little bit.

Murali Vijay is a better batsman than Sehwag ever was.
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Vijay cant play long innings like Sehwag and lacks the ability to take on the opposition and turn the game on its own.

Sehwag is a level or two ahead of Vjay.
 
He was terrific for us, and has grown on everyone since retirement since nobody can bat like him. Sod off, Dhawan - you're a pretender.

Would certainly make our All-time Test team as an opener with Gavaskar.

I always appreciate him trying in this lost cause of a game. If ever we went on to win this, however unlikely, it would be because of the approach he showed throughout:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cDJC4Vfma-Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Rank him along-side with Clarke and Amla personally
 
Ab Fan said:
Vijay cant play long innings like Sehwag and lacks the ability to take on the opposition and turn the game on its own.

Sehwag is a level or two ahead of Vjay.
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Vijay is only behind because he hasn't played enough. In terms of quality, he's already ahead. A solid batsman everywhere and recently, he's been getting those big scores as well.

street cricketer said:
You forgot the legend.:yk3
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Younis is not an opener and is two levels above Sehwag.
 
On one hand, I feel his sample size for AWAY games is small. If he played a bit more he would be better remembered.

On another hand, I always got a Rohit Sharma vibe from Sehwag.
 
Tier-2 ATG at the same level as Hayden.

As jeetu pointed out, he averaged 54 total and 50 away from home until 2010.

He and some other Indian greats and hung on for too long leading to the 8-0 and some embarrassing performances from him and the team.
 
Definitely an ATG, strike rates of 82 and 104 in tests and Odis for a player from the 90s,that too with 8.5k runs each in tests and ODIs ,being an opener is fairytale like achievement.
 
Most people will select him in all time Indian XI along with Gavaskar. So yes, I think he is an all time great.

Cricinfo had selected him in their all time XI-Third team with Victor Trumper. To be selected among top 36 cricketers ever, or top 6 openers ever by a panel of ex-cricketers is no joke.
 
A phenomenal player! The greatest opener of the game I have ever seen. The impact Sehwag had on a game was truly immense. The world has never seen an opener like Sehwag and never will. His ability to thrash spinners all over the park makes him stand out from the rest.

An all-time great of the game for me and my favorite cricketer of all time.
 
Yes he's an ATG. The most impactful batsmen of all time and the best Test batsman on Asian tracks. Surprised to see him not getting his due on a Pakistani forum given how he has tortured and bullied our bowlers into submission time and time again.

The other ATGs were not good enough to attack like him and succeed. He has also given the game his inferior imitations like Dilshan and Warner.

Lol at Younis being two levels above him. :))
 
Mamoon said:
Yes he's an ATG. The most impactful batsmen of all time and the best Test batsman on Asian tracks. Surprised to see him not getting his due on a Pakistani forum given how he has tortured and bullied our bowlers into submission time and time again.

The other ATGs were not good enough to attack like him and succeed. He has also given the game his inferior imitations like Dilshan and Warner.

Lol at Younis being two levels above him. :))
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You have over rated him here just like people who under rate him. He isn't an ATG by any means. But an Indian great and a very dangerous player.

To say warner is his inferior version is an insult to warner who is amazing and hasn't even finished his career.
 
Madplayer said:
You have over rated him here just like people who under rate him. He isn't an ATG by any means. But an Indian great and a very dangerous player.

To say warner is his inferior version is an insult to warner who is amazing and hasn't even finished his career.
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Warner is definitely inferior. He's the biggest FTB in the world today and has only performed in Australia and South Africa. Sehwag became a FTB in his later years but he scored runs in most places at various points in his career. It is not wrong to call Warner a poor man's Sehwag.

Sehwag is an ATG even if stats don't fully back it up. There is no one path to greatness.
 
It's a simple question, would you rate Sehwag among batsmen like Gavaskar or Smith? That would answer the question to whether he's an "ATG" or not. It seems literally ever batsman on PP is ATG lol...Too many *******.
 
Gavaskar is a tier above Smith, who is the same level as Sehwag. Silly to claim otherwise.
 
Protea Fan said:
Not an underachiever for me....he's not so gifted as like many greats so didn't have that technique to survive tough conditions

Players like him solely depended on hand-eye co-ordinations thats why at the end of his carrier a sudden steep happends just because his sight is gone and so was that reflexes

Bw in his time avg of 35 for opener was pretty decent....that time i have seen many claiming Gilly as an ATG opener
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A) Average of 35 for an opener in this era was NOT decent. That was in the 90's.
B) Gilly wasn't a test opener. He batted at 7. And yes, he was definitely an ATG!!!!!!!!! Best wicketkeeper-batsman in history.
 
Sin Nombre said:
Gavaskar is a tier above Smith, who is the same level as Sehwag. Silly to claim otherwise.
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Sehwag averaged 20 in NZ, 25 in SA and 28 in England.

Smith fared better in different conditions - his lowest mark is 36 in India and 39 in Australia.

I think Smith is better, though I suppose you can group them in the same tier.

Gavaskar is obviously better than both.
 
Abdullah719 said:
Sehwag averaged 20 in NZ, 25 in SA and 28 in England.

Smith fared better in different conditions - his lowest mark is 36 in India and 39 in Australia.

I think Smith is better, though I suppose you can group them in the same tier.

Gavaskar is obviously better than both.
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Look at jeetu's stats from earlier.

Sehwag, like his other Indian compatriots, played way too long. He was averaging 50 away after his first 86 tests at a SR of 82.
 
Sin Nombre said:
Look at jeetu's stats from earlier.

Sehwag, like his other Indian compatriots, played way too long. He was averaging 50 away after his first 86 tests at a SR of 82.
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Still had a very poor record in NZ and SA - when comparing two players with similar stats head to head, these small things make the difference.
 
Sin Nombre said:
Gavaskar is a tier above Smith, who is the same level as Sehwag. Silly to claim otherwise.
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True, I just couldn't think of an opener who is actually ATG in the modern post 90s era. Smith however is probably the best opener since Gavaskar.

Point is, arguing whether Sehwag is ATG is pointless. There are batsmen that are better than him who aren't considered ATG. An India great he is, an ATG however? No way.
 
Abdullah719 said:
Still had a very poor record in NZ and SA - when comparing two players with similar stats head to head, these small things make the difference.
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Agree with you about small things making a difference, to me that includes, a SR of 82 as an opener. Smith was more consistent in all conditions, Sehwag had the ability to take away matches from the opposition.

As I said in the Alastair Cook "ATG" thread, I put both of them and Hayden as tier-2 openers; one tier above Cook and one tier below Gavaskar.
 
Sin Nombre said:
Agree with you about small things making a difference, to me that includes, a SR of 82 as an opener. Smith was more consistent in all conditions, Sehwag had the ability to take away matches from the opposition.

As I said in the Alastair Cook "ATG" thread, I put both of them and Hayden as tier-2 openers; one tier above Cook and one tier below Gavaskar.
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Strike-rate does make a difference but in the case of an opener, batting time also matters, making it easier for the other batsmen by playing out the new-ball. In SA, NZ and Eng, Sehwag's 25 average also came at a high-ish SR meaning that he batted only around 30 balls an innings, exposing the other batsman to a fairly new ball.
 
Abdullah719 said:
Strike-rate does make a difference but in the case of an opener, batting time also matters, making it easier for the other batsmen by playing out the new-ball. In SA, NZ and Eng, Sehwag's 25 average also came at a high-ish SR meaning that he batted only around 30 balls an innings, exposing the other batsman to a fairly new ball.
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High SR has nothing to do with it. Having such a poor average in 3 major Test countries means failure and is not up to the mark for a good batsman, let alone a great batsman as the thread premise is suggesting.

Sehwag was a brilliant batsman in Asia but he falls below the mark outside Asia and by a large margin too, hence why he cannot be considered an ATG.
 
He bullied Pakistan like no other Indian player. I am sure they were his favorite team :maqsood. Like someone said he's an Indian ATG. I rate him alongside Sangakkara who was clearly a notch below the likes of Sachin, Dravid...
 
Abdullah719 said:
Strike-rate does make a difference but in the case of an opener, batting time also matters, making it easier for the other batsmen by playing out the new-ball. In SA, NZ and Eng, Sehwag's 25 average also came at a high-ish SR meaning that he batted only around 30 balls an innings, exposing the other batsman to a fairly new ball.
Click to expand...

Sehwag's first series in NZ came at tracks where 100-150 runs was the par score. His average there is absolutely deceiving. As for England, he averaged 40 in that country until his last tour, which was a period where Sehwag had simply lost his abilities and was dragging his career.

Besides, when we have bowlers like Waqar being rated as ATGs (while failing in two major countries), why would Sehwag not make it there too? Sehwag was twice as good as his nearest competitor in Asian conditions, and that alone is enough to give him an ATG status.
 
Last edited:
Zak_Fan said:
Sehwag's first series in NZ came at tracks where 100-150 runs was the par score. His average there is absolutely deceiving. As for England, he averaged 40 in that country until his last tour, which was a period where Sehwag had simply lost his abilities and was dragging his career.

Besides, when we have bowlers like Waqar being rated as ATGs (while failing in two major countries), why would Sehwag not make it there too? Sehwag was twice as good as his nearest competitor in Asian conditions, and that alone is enough to give him an ATG status.
Click to expand...

Waqar failed in Australia and failed in 2 Tests in India.

Sehwag averaged 24.7 across NINETEEN Tests in the aforementioned three countries.
 
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