‘Sehwag most exciting batsman after Richards’
18 March 2013 8:04 AM IST
Celebrated British writer Lord Jeffrey Archer is in awe of the way Virender Sehwag bats and considers him as the most exciting batsman ever other than the West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards. A close follower of Indian cricket, he says it’s a treat to watch Sehwag plundering runs and punishing bowlers. ‘Sehwag is probably the most exciting batsman other than Viv Richards that I have seen in my life,’ said Archer.
In Delhi on a multi-city tour for the special launch of the third book of his popular series The Clifton Chronicles, Archer also commented on Sehwag’s omission from the Test side. ‘He was ‘dropped’, which is a very interesting decision. He is very up and down. He is very mercurial. He can be his own man.’
The playwright feels that Indian cricket is too much influenced by Twenty20 cricket, by the IPL and too much of money is involved.
‘Cricket is a Test match with V V S Laxman and Rahul Dravid fighting all day to save the game. I was shocked to see so less people in the stadium (during the ongoing Mohali Test). The ground was empty. It is unbelievable. When it’s a T20 match it’s absolutely packed,’ he said.
Archer, who admires late Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, said, ‘The Nawab of Pataudi was a friend. We were at Oxford together. I am a great admirer of his.
‘Rahul Dravid is such a stylist batsman. Anil Kumble is a great captain and behaved with such dignity over the Ponting-Harbhajan thing. And of course, the great Sachin is the great Sachin.’
In Delhi on a multi-city tour for the special launch of the third book of his popular series The Clifton Chronicles, Archer also commented on Sehwag’s omission from the Test side. ‘He was ‘dropped’, which is a very interesting decision. He is very up and down. He is very mercurial. He can be his own man.’
The playwright feels that Indian cricket is too much influenced by Twenty20 cricket, by the IPL and too much of money is involved.
‘Cricket is a Test match with V V S Laxman and Rahul Dravid fighting all day to save the game. I was shocked to see so less people in the stadium (during the ongoing Mohali Test). The ground was empty. It is unbelievable. When it’s a T20 match it’s absolutely packed,’ he said.
Archer, who admires late Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, said, ‘The Nawab of Pataudi was a friend. We were at Oxford together. I am a great admirer of his.
‘Rahul Dravid is such a stylist batsman. Anil Kumble is a great captain and behaved with such dignity over the Ponting-Harbhajan thing. And of course, the great Sachin is the great Sachin.’
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