India expect great things from Sehwag’s return
MUMBAI: Former India players are united in their belief that Virender Sehwag’s return from injury will stabilise the team’s fragile batting order and lift morale in the remaining two Tests against a dominant England.
The dashing opener has been sidelined since undergoing shoulder surgery in May, keeping the 32-year-old out of the tour of the West Indies and India’s first two Tests against England. India, 2-0 down in the four-match series, had looked nothing like the world’s number one-ranked team in the Lord’s and Trent Bridge Tests but that could change with the return of the explosive right-hander, according to Anshuman Gaekwad.
“It is almost going to be like a new series. To have Sehwag and (Gautam) Gambhir back... It will give a lot of confidence to the team,” the former India international and coach told Reuters.
Sehwag’s opening partner Gambhir injured his elbow while fielding at Lord’s and missed the 319-run defeat at Trent Bridge but is likely to return to the starting line-up for the third Test beginning on Aug. 10 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. The injuries to the top order forced India to tinker with the batting lineup, placing Rahul Dravid in a makeshift opener’s role and Vangipurappu Laxman up the order at number three.
“In a Test match, it is of utmost necessity to have a good start. Their return will be a big relief for the captain and the team,” emphasised the former India opener, who played 40 Test matches from 1975-85.
Sehwag has 22 hundreds in 87 Test appearances but it his strike rate of almost 82 runs per 100 deliveries that make him one of the most intimidating batsmen in cricket. Former captain Ajit Wadekar said Sehwag’s return would ease the pressure on India’s “Big Three” — Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Laxman.
The dashing opener has been sidelined since undergoing shoulder surgery in May, keeping the 32-year-old out of the tour of the West Indies and India’s first two Tests against England. India, 2-0 down in the four-match series, had looked nothing like the world’s number one-ranked team in the Lord’s and Trent Bridge Tests but that could change with the return of the explosive right-hander, according to Anshuman Gaekwad.
“It is almost going to be like a new series. To have Sehwag and (Gautam) Gambhir back... It will give a lot of confidence to the team,” the former India international and coach told Reuters.
Sehwag’s opening partner Gambhir injured his elbow while fielding at Lord’s and missed the 319-run defeat at Trent Bridge but is likely to return to the starting line-up for the third Test beginning on Aug. 10 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. The injuries to the top order forced India to tinker with the batting lineup, placing Rahul Dravid in a makeshift opener’s role and Vangipurappu Laxman up the order at number three.
“In a Test match, it is of utmost necessity to have a good start. Their return will be a big relief for the captain and the team,” emphasised the former India opener, who played 40 Test matches from 1975-85.
Sehwag has 22 hundreds in 87 Test appearances but it his strike rate of almost 82 runs per 100 deliveries that make him one of the most intimidating batsmen in cricket. Former captain Ajit Wadekar said Sehwag’s return would ease the pressure on India’s “Big Three” — Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Laxman.
Published by Unknown
on 05:15.
Filed under
.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0
