Virender Sehwag happy to slow-start career again |
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Tuesday March 25, 01:56 PM
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By N.Ananthanarayanan
CHENNAI, India (Reuters) - Curbing natural aggression early in an innings has been the key to Virender Sehwag's strong test comeback, the Indian opener says.
The 29-year-old marked his test recall in the last two games of Australia tour by stroking 151 in the drawn final test in Adelaide. India lost the series 2-1.
The Delhi batsman had been sidelined for the previous three test series in 2007, dropped for the Bangladesh and England tours and against Pakistan at home following a poor run with the bat.
"It was tough for me on both the mental and technical aspects," Sehwag told reporters ahead of the first test against South Africa which begins in Chennai on Wednesday.
"I was not in a good mindset. So I kept telling myself that I have done it in the past and I can do it in the present too. "For me, I was trying to dominate from the first ball, which was why I was struggling," he said. "In Australia, I was biding my time and looking to take on the bowlers after 15-16 overs."
Despite his risky batting approach, Sehwag had played many long innings and also became the only Indian to score a test triple hundred on the 2004 Pakistan tour.
FORM SLUMP
Sehwag, who has hit 13 centuries from 54 tests and has an average of 50.46, suffered a form slump over the last two seasons.
He needed his skipper's backing to make the squads for both the 2007 one-day World Cup as well as the Australia series, where he vindicated Anil Kumble's faith in him by also playing a key role in the third test win at Perth.
"I've a lot of confidence," he said. "My last innings in a test was a 150 so I know what I am doing.
"I will look to survive the first hour and then dominate in the next."
Sehwag said speaking to the team's mental conditioning expert Paddy Upton had been useful ahead of the three-test series.
"If you have been playing cricket for 8-9 years, sometimes you tend to forget small things," Sehwag said.
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