NEW DELHI -India’s swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag yesterday saluted retired Australian great Matthew Hayden, saying he had not seen an ‘attacking batsman of his calibre.’
The powerfully-built Hayden, whose aggressive strokeplay was similar to that of Sehwag, retired from international cricket on Tuesday after a poor run with the bat in Australia’s recent series.
But his 8,625 runs in 103 Tests at an impressive average of 50.74 with 30 centuries convinced Sehwag that Australia will struggle to replace a batsman of Hayden’s stature.
‘I have not seen an attacking batsman of his calibre in my career,’ Sehwag told the Mumbai-based Daily News and Analysis (DNA) newspaper.
‘The game of cricket has lost a great player. Crucially enough, Australia have lost a rare cricketer. His absence will be felt just as the retirement of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath was.’
Sehwag, who has two Test triple centuries to his credit, said he was amazed by Hayden’s consistency over the past few years.
‘In the last eight years he has scored more than 20 centuries,’ he said. ‘You can be sure that Australia will not be able to unearth an opener who can hit 20 centuries in the next eight years.
‘I have played eight years and managed only 15.
‘If Australia won so many matches in the last eight to 10 years, it was because of the starts Hayden provided. They would reach 500 in just over a day and it would be largely because of his batting.
‘The best thing about him was that he took advantage of his weight and height. A player of his size can be intimidating for any bowler. He attacked the bowler from the word go.’
Sehwag said Hayden’s in-your-face attitude on the field left rivals flustered. – Nampa-AFP
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