Chappel's certification for Sehwag stats
The wide gap between Sehwag's first innings average (70 odd) and second innings average (under 25) has been a topic of discussion for a long time now.
Which is why something Greg Chappell wrote in the March issue of Wisden Asia attracted my interest. The article talks about statistics being the basis of judging a player. Chappel feels that we should not blindly pick up any stat, but we should be selective in setting the criteria on the basis on which a player's worth should be gauged.
Talking about batsmen he says "have a look at which players make their runs in the first innings of a test, when the match is there to be won. That will tell you something about the spirit of the individual as well as his talent. Runs in the second innings are often important but usually they contribute towards saving the game rather than winning it. Winning is what it is really about so batsmen should be judged on their ability to score runs quickly enough to give their bowlers time to take 20 wickets."
Which is why something Greg Chappell wrote in the March issue of Wisden Asia attracted my interest. The article talks about statistics being the basis of judging a player. Chappel feels that we should not blindly pick up any stat, but we should be selective in setting the criteria on the basis on which a player's worth should be gauged.
Talking about batsmen he says "have a look at which players make their runs in the first innings of a test, when the match is there to be won. That will tell you something about the spirit of the individual as well as his talent. Runs in the second innings are often important but usually they contribute towards saving the game rather than winning it. Winning is what it is really about so batsmen should be judged on their ability to score runs quickly enough to give their bowlers time to take 20 wickets."
