Sehwag happy with Fletcher's early appointment

India and Delhi Daredevils opener Virender Sehwag reckons the BCCI did the right thing by appointing Duncan Fletcher as coach soon after Gary Kirsten's departure as it has given the Zimbabwean enough time to settle with the side."It's good for India. It's a good thing that the BCCI has found a replacement in quick time. It will clearly help the players and the new coach to settle down early. Fletcher will get enough time to do home work before our series against England starts," Sehwag said.

Fletcher, a former England coach who guided them to the memorable 2005 Ashes triumph, would not be able to join the Indians during next month's tour of the West Indies due to personal reasons but would be there when Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men tour England later this year. The former Zimbabwe captain's appointment has evoked varied reactions with some former greats including Sunil Gavaskar insisting that an Indian would have been a better choice.

Asked whether he has had any interaction with Fletcher, Sehwag merely said, "No, I don't know him."Sehwag's opening partner Gautam Gambhir, on the other hand, is not even thinking about the new coach right now as he is totally focused on his role as Kolkata Knight Rider’s skipper in the ongoing Indian Premier League."Right now, my concentration and focus is totally on the IPL. I am not thinking about all these things. I will only think about all this once the IPL ends," he said.

As Kirsten's successor, Fletcher has massive expectations to live upto as the friendly South African left after taking India to their first World Cup title in 28 years besides being at the helm during some of the most unforgettable overseas triumphs of the team.

Ponting compares Hiral Patel with Sehwag

As Hiral Patel cracked the likes of Brett Lee and Shaun Tait to all corners of the Chinnaswamy Stadium during a World Cup match here, Australian captain Ricky Ponting said the Canadian batsman reminded him of Indian swashbuckler Virender Sehwag. Patel’s blazing 45-ball 54-run innings had the Australians on the back foot before the defending champions regrouped to skittle out the Canadians for 211 and chase the total with ease."He plays a lot like Sehwag," Ponting said after his team's seven-wicket win over the North Americans in a group A match here on Wednesday night.


Ponting felt it would be difficult for the title-holders to fight back if bigger teams get off with the kind of blistering start that Patel gave to the Canadians."We did well to get wickets and restrict them today. But against good teams with deeper batting line-up (it would be hard)," Ponting said. The unidentified factor most likely worked to Canada's advantage and Ponting said his team would be better against Pakistan."We didn't know much about him and the others. We just saw some clippings of them. He required some room and played some wonderful shots.

"But Pakistan, we know their game better," he said before adding, "It's always great playing Pakistan. One never knows about Pakistan. They have been good but against New Zealand they were ordinary."Ponting has, so far, failed to live upto his billing in the World Cup, but hoped he would click in the larger games. "There wasn't much left for me to do today. Hopefully, I am saving them for the big matches," he said. Asked about his angry reaction following his collision with Steve Smith while taking a catch, Ponting said, "It wasn't a great reaction. But it wasn't designed or intentional. It just happened in the spur of the moment. If it looked bad, I apologise."

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Sehwag feels India ready to win WC

Virender Sehwag is not worried of the injuries and dip in form to some of India's key players in front of World Cup and feels that his side is prepared to win the title in front of the home crowd. Sehwag himself is coming out of a shoulder injury, Gautam Gambhir is improving from a hand injury while Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina are struggling for form. But the dashing opener contended that every cricketer goes through the rough patch at some point of time."I am not worried with all these. Sometimes you perform well and sometimes you don't. I was not performing well in 2006-07 but my time came in 2008, 2009 and 2010. I performed well and scored runs in both one-dayers and Tests. These things happen in every player's career. I am not worried," he said.

"Time is coming for Indian batsmen to do in front of the home crowd. I am looking forward to that. Everyone has not been scoring big hundreds of late but now is the time for us with World Cup round the corner. I am sure everybody will score," said Sehwag. Asked about playing under pressure of massive expectations and a tough World Cup group comprising England, South Africa, West Indies and Bangladesh, Sehwag said the Indians have done their home work well to give their best shot at glory."Bangladeshi people would be expecting their side to beat us again like in 2007 World Cup. But this time we are prepared fine and confident of defeat them in Bangladesh. It's a revenge game for us. We will not take it lightly.



"We are playing in India and know the conditions better than other teams in our group. We know how wickets will behave. When we played against England last time, we have won 5-0. Against South Africa, we have done well against them in their country and in India. We recently won the Test series 2-1," he said. "West Indies, they have got good players in Kieron Pollard and Chris Gayle and if they click on, it's difficult for us but India has a very strong side in Sachin, Gambhir, Pathan, Kohli, Yuvraj, Dhoni and Raina. I am looking forward to see Yusuf Pathan in this World Cup," he said.

Sehwag said it's a special moment for him with World Cup happening in India."World Cup is coming to India and it is my third. Every cricketer wants to play the World Cup and I am lucky enough to have plated two. I am very lucky that I am playing at home. All the players are very happy that it is happening in India. I hope we will bring and give our best shot. If the day belongs to us, we can beat any side," said Sehwag.

Virender Sehwag is my inspiration:Yusuf

Yusuf Pathan tells mid day that Sehwag's the reason for his batting bravado

Two sparkling knocks in South Africa against a adaptable pace attack have enhanced Yusuf Pathan's reputation as a destroyer. His 70-ball 105 against South Africa at Centurion on Sunday chipped away at the hosts' ODI series-winning joy. When Pathan landed in Mumbai late last evening, he was reluctant to talk about himself or the Centurion innings, but spoke to Mid day about who he gets his inspiration from.



"The obvious answer to that is Sachin Tendulkar, but the daredevil approach has come from Virender Sehwag," said Pathan. Sehwag was not part of the ODI team in South Africa due to an injured shoulder. Reportedly, the dasher from Delhi visited Germany to get his shoulder treated. "I was always inspired by the way Viru kept support his own game despite people talking about the so-called shortcomings in his batting," added Pathan. The Vadodara man was quick to remember his mentor late Bashir Shaikh in his hour of glory. "He would have been very happy to see me playing in the World Cup," he said.

Very few people know that 1983 World Cupper Balwinder Singh Sandhu has also played a essential role in Pathan's development when the earlier swing bowler was coach of Baroda. "Initially, people in Baroda used to ridicule him. I watched him and sensed there was some special spark in his batting which reminded me of Sandeep Patil," said Sandhu, who is pleased that Pathan has given India an amazing option at No 7.

"Trust me, along with Yuvraj, Yusuf is one batsman who can win matches from hopeless situations a la Kapil Dev's 175 in 1983," added Sandhu.Indeed, there will be more expectations after Pathan's South Africa show, but he is his usual bindaas self. "I don't think much about all that. The team expects me to win matches and I will try to do that always,"
he concluded.

Sehwag, Dhoni are India's game changers

Destructive off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has named dashing teammate Virender Sehwag and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the two main game changers in the Indian squad due to their capacity to dominate the opposition bowlers and hitting the ball with power."There are a number of players in our team who have the talent to change the game. Virender Sehwag is one of them. Every time he is batting we know that he will take over all the bowlers. He has changed the game for us during difficult situations," Harbhajan has been quoted as saying by a media release."Another game changer for us is MS Dhoni who has got his own technique.

He has a set of power to hit the ball all around the field. These are the two guys who are the big game changers in our team," said the off-spinner for Pepsi's "Change the Game" campaign ahead of the upcoming World Cup.Harbhajan also mentioned Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq as his motivation for developing his "Doosra" that had helped him snare many a victim in his career."When I was a kid and used to practice in Chandigarh, I used to see Saqlain Mustaq who bowled a lot of Doosras. I eagerly observed him and came up with my own ideas and thoughts to perfect the ball.



"I practiced hard along with my colleague, Arun Verma, a wicketkeeper, to apply my own technique and accepting to it. It took a lot of hard-work, commitment and time to develop this wicket taking ball. I mastered bowling the Doosra after over two years of practice and continue to do so," said the slow bowler who has two Test tons under his belt. The fighting cricketer also recalled his successes with this kind of delivery in which the off break bowler turns the ball the other way, especially his unforgettable hat-trick against Australia in the second Test in March 2001 at the Eden Gardens which India won after following on.

"I remember a lot of games where 'Doosra' has changed the game for not just me but for India. I remember a game in Kolkata where we were playing against Australia and they were hammering all our bowlers. I suddenly bowled one 'Doosra' to Ricky Ponting and got him out LBW."I went on to take my first hat trick (Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne) for India in that match. That was surely a game changer at that particular time," said the 30-year-old bowler, who is seven short of grabbing 400 wickets in Test cricket.

The Game changers

A marquee series needs a marquee contest, a key event, the headliner. This Test series between the two top teams features two of the most joyful cricketers in the world.When MS Dhoni was asked at the pre-match press conference in Johannesburg how Virender Sehwag was dealing with the pressure of being the centre of discussion surrounding the series, he replied, "He doesn't take the pressure. That's the best part." Dhoni wouldn't have known that around the same time the man himself was sitting coolly in a corner of the food court of the huge shopping mall - a world in itself - that is Sandton City.


You wouldn't even have noticed Sehwag but for the larger presence of Ishant Sharma, and the smaller one of Gautam Gambhir, around him.Just an additional small group in a crowd of small groups. If you were looking for the man everyone was talking about, Sehwag didn't look like that man. If you were looking for the man thought to be the key for India in the three-Test series, Sehwag didn't look like that man either."You can have only one Sehwag," Dhoni said. "That's the beauty of his game. Whatever comes his way he will play according to the value of the delivery. That's what his strength is."

Perhaps Dhoni has got it wrong there. The concept of the merit of the delivery is quite different in Sehwag's world. After scoring close to a triple-century in one day against Sri Lanka last year, he had this to say: "In the dressing room they told me I was hitting the good balls too, but if you look at it my way, I hit only the bad ones." That's why Sehwag is so important to India. They need him to redefine good balls and bad balls in difficult conditions.They need to see him hit the South Africa bowlers for boundaries before the rest of the batsmen come in to bat.

Sehwag most destructive batsman

Legendary West Indian Sir Vivian Richards feels India’s chances in the 2011 World Cup will largely depend on Virender Sehwag’s form, whom he considers the most dangerous batsman in present day cricket. “Sehwag! There is no doubt about it. He is just so destructive. He is fully fearless. India need him badly (during the World Cup),” the former West Indies captain said. “He can be very threatening and can provide brilliant starts to the team which will play a big role in India’s success in the World Cup,” he added.

While Richards said Australia’s performance in the ongoing Ashes series was more than enough indication of their current state, former Pakistan captain Imran Khan was of the view that the Ricky Ponting-led side lack firepower in bowling to win matches.Former India captain Kapil Dev and Richards feel India are run-away favourites to win next year’s World Cup but Imran and Arjuna Ranatunga added a note of caution about their talent to soak in the pressure of playing at home.

That, in a nutshell, was how the former captains and legends felt about how things will be in a couple of months’ time as the marquee event starts February 19. “They are the No. 1 in the world (in Tests) and have a explosive crowd behind them. The team is going to South Africa where pitches will be different but it can prove to be helpful as they prepare for the World Cup,” Richards said. "Viv was the most naturally talented batsman against fast bowlers I have ever seen. But if some ask me who after Viv, I would say Inzamam. He had so much time to play his strokes even against the quickest bowler."

Sehwag and after, story of 2 halves

The story of an Indian innings can be divided into two parts these days. One, when Virender Sehwag is at the crease and two, after he is out. The two halves have different scripts. Once Sehwag gets out, the ball seems to become bad instead of obedient, the pitch starts looking tougher for batting and the bowlers appear more inquisitive than they were when the opener was hitting them all over the park.In different degrees, the ongoing series has witnessed this during all three first innings of India, with things becoming distinctly quieter after the dismissal of Sehwag.

Not that his fall has led to a collapse, but it has regularly given New Zealand hope.While Sehwag's presence in the middle simplifies scoring into a monotonous torrent of runs, his absence makes one realise what exactly the team is missing. Not only the run rate dips, re-energized bowlers rediscover the purpose of their job, fielders return from the deep, the number of close-in catchers increases and finding gaps suddenly becomes difficult."He's a fantastic player because of the nature of his game," New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said before the start of the third Test.

"He takes on teams and puts a lot of pressure on the captain to find ways to stop him. He is a real challenge for us, how to deal with players like Sehwag,Dilshan and Gayle because they are a real terrifying with how much pressure they put on you."Sehwag doesn't seem to bother about them, but he has the records that will make most cricketers proud. Two triples in a tally of 22 centuries, average of 54.56, 7476 runs with a strike rate of 82.01 - Sehwag has few peers, even predecessors, in international cricket. The impact he leaves on a match makes him bigger than those numbers.

The man to have shared nine century-plus opening partnerships with Sehwag acknowledged it. “He is an impact player, who attacks the opposition and sets up the game for us.Before the opposition realises what is happening, we have 50 on the board,” said Gautam Gambhir on Sunday.Sehwag has scored one hundred in this series, while he could easily have made three had he been more cautious. He doesn’t mind it. The team doesn’t either, for the last of his brisk efforts has put India in a good position in the final Test.

Virender Sehwag stokes UDRS debate

Many in the Indian team and the board may not be in the favour of the controversial Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS), but one main member of the side has given a thumbs-up to it. Without being diplomatic, dashing Indian opener Virender Sehwag expressed his fondness for it and the desire to have the technology in all the series.In the city to sign a five year deal in excess of Rs 100 crore with Sunil Gavaskar’s sports management company — Professional Management Group — Sehwag on Sunday said: “I am a big fan of UDRS. I want it to be there for the India-New Zealand series, India-South Africa series and in the World Cup. But this is my personal opinion.

“I was given out two times when I was not out and in such a situation I could have gone in for a referral that would have helped me continue to bat,” added Sehwag.The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been trying in vain to convince the Board of Control for Cricket in India use the UDRS and Sehwag’s statement should be music to their ears. Meanwhile, Sehwag’s views should raise some eyebrows in the BCCI. On the recent reports of the ICC planning to unleash undercover agents to test the cricketers, Sehwag played the point with a straight bat. “I am not bothered whether they are undercover or overcover. I am clean.

Only those who have something to hide need be concerned. I know my role and goals,” said Sehwag.The 32-year-old was all praise of coach Gary Kirsten, who has been hailed by almost everyone in the team including batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar. Sehwag exposed that the South African has always been encouraging and never fidgeted with his batting style.“He has allowed me to play my game. He has never ever told me to change it. Even when I get out in the 20s and 30s, he has always been encouraging, saying that he knew if I am there for an hour I have done my job. He’s doing his job very well and everyone in the team is happy,” he said.

Great cricketers were nominated for two great awards

Great Cricket News: Two Indian Cricketers Sachin and Sehwag were nominated for the two great awards “Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year awards” which is going to be held on Oct 6 in Bangalore. One more cricketer name has been included in the nomination list for both awards. He is South Africa’s Hashim Amla.

While Dale Steyn of South Africa has been short-listed as the fourth player in the category of Test cricketer of the Year award, England's Graeme Swann is nominated for the Cricketer of the Year award. The final list was decided on the basis of the votes casted by the independent 25-member academy.

Meanwhile, two of Australia's victorious World Twenty20 team members - Shelley Nitschke and Ellyse Perry - alongwith West Indies' Stafanie Taylor and England's Katherine Brunt have been shortlisted for Women's Cricketer of the Year award. The Emerging Player of the Year nominees include Englishman Steven Finn, Angelo Mathews of Sri Lanka, Tim Paine of Australia and Pakistan's Umar Akmal.

The LG ICC Awards 2010 takes into account the performances of the cricket players and officials during the period of August 24, 2009 to August 10, 2010.