Brett Lee was undoubtedly one of the fearsome fast bowlers ever to play the game. During his career, fans saw him intimidate batters from all over the world with his express pace and he had a rivalry with some of the legendary batters of his era, including the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Brian Lara, Virendra Sehwag among others.
According to the former Australian cricketer, bowling to Sehwag was just as daunting as it was to Tendulkar, who he claims was always the toughest batter to bowl to.
The most iconic encounter between Lee and Sehwag was during the 2003 Boxing Day Test at MCG, when the Indian opener slammed 195 runs on the first day of the match and ‘Binga’ along with the other Australian bowlers was taken to the cleaners.
"You think of the word cruel. You think of the word swashbuckling. Think of the world unpredictable, I think of none other than Virender Sehwag. He played with a smile on his face, with intent… the type of guy that would quite likely want to hit the first ball of a Test match for six… and he has done it. He is a guy that is so hard to bowl to because as I mentioned, the unpredictability. You would bowl that beautiful line and length thinking I’ve got him… ball shaping away. And that big smile, Sehwag would go BANG, hit you over cover for six," Lee said on his YouTube channel 'Brett Lee TV'.
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Due to the similarities in their batting stances, he claimed that Sehwag was a near-exact replica of Tendulkar. He also revealed being taken aback by the right-hander’s fearless demeanor, especially in Test matches.
"The guy that looked a little bit like Sachin Tendulkar when he was batting. And I thought 'here we go again. Another Sachin Tendulkar. If one wasn't enough, we've got another one and he is opening the batting'. We in the Australian team had a ploy for Sehwag and even start the Test match with a third man, trying to suck him in to hit one down there. We tried that in an ODI match one day and he wacked it… absolutely nailed it out of the ground. I just thought ‘this guy is too good’. And he would give you that cheeky little wink. The best thing about Sehwag was that he was a character. He loved playing cricket and those little battle scars against the bowler. He got the ability to make people get hooked on to seats," he added.
Brett Lee hoped that there are many more batters who would play like the former India opener in the future.
"A lot of people asked, 'Is he more of a One-Day cricketer, or a T20 cricketer? I don't believe it. I think he was perfectly suited to Test cricket because the hardest thing as a bowler when bowling the first ball of a Test match, you are trying to look for rhythm. When do you that and your first ball goes for four, it can really much of a bowler's mind. I've had some great battles on the field, he's a terrific guy off it. Virender Sehwag, you are a superstar and I hope there are many more batters who emulate your batting style," he remarked.
(HT INPUTS)
