Something happens to Virender Sehwag when he sights a spinner. Despite all his adventurism, Sehwag’s batting is usually based on clear and sound principles. He tries to send as many balls as possible to the boundary, but against pace bowlers, his shots are determined by the type of ball. Of late, he has taken to fetching balls from outside the off stump and hitting them between midwicket and mid-on, but by and large, he knows his percentages. It might appear risky to those watching, but in his mind, he has dealt with the ball on merit.

Not so against the spinners, or at least the spinners he doesn’t rate. I once asked John Wright, then the India coach, if he worried about Sehwag’s technique, particularly his lack of feet movement, against the new ball. Wright said he never worried about the new ball, but was terrified when spinners came on to bowl. It was then that he was most likely to get himself out. That’s because “Viru doesn’t think spinners have a right to exist.”

Perhaps Wright has passed on a tip or two to Daniel Vettori.

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