Sehwag ducks “ordinary side” questions

Chittagong: Virender Sehwag did not disclose if he still considers Bangladesh an “ordinary side” but the stand-in Indian cricket captain today hinted that his assessment of the home side remains unaltered.

Before the start of the match, Sehwag stirred the hornet’s nest rating Bangladesh an “ordinary side” which did not have the bowling wherewithals to claim 20 Indian wickets.

His comment did not go down well with the hosts who were extra motivated as they skittled out the famed Indian line-up for a meagre 243 in the first innings.

Even though India went on to win the Test by 113 runs, local journalists were eager to know if he still felt the same about the hosts.

After initially ducking the question, Sehwag pointed out, “They did not bat well in both the innings and they bowled well only in the first innings.”

When one journalist said that Bangladesh nearly took 20 wickets and they could have done that had India not declared their second innings, Sehwag shot back “They could not still take 20 wickets. We had to declare because we want to win.”

And as another query was hurled at him on the same issue, Sehwag said “Next question please.”

Dwelling on the match, Sehwag attributed the victory to his bowlers, saying they did a great job in both the innings.

“I thought the bowlers did a terrific job. They fought back by bundling out Bangladesh for just 242 after our batting collapse,” Sehwag said.

“They (bowlers) also bowled Bangladesh out for 301 in their second innings. Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, S Sreesanth and Amit Mishra all bowled well,” Sehwag said.

Among the batsmen, he patted Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir, who struck centuries in the first and second innings respectively.

“Sachin Tendulkar did a great job by scoring a hundred when the chips were down in the first innings to reach near 250. Then we batted well in the second innings with a fine effort from Gautam Gambhir. So, it was a good team effort,” he added.

Gambhir on Wednesday had credited Sehwag for reminding him to convert the fifties into bigger knock. Sehwag on Thursday returned the compliment, saying, “He is a kind of players who curses himself when he is out cheaply”.

“So I told him not to get out in the first 15 overs if he wants to score big. If the opening pair (between him and Gambhir) does well it is much easier for the lower order to post big total.”

Looking at the match, Sehwag said another positive outcome was Ishant Sharma’s return to form.

“I think he has worked out his problems. He was getting the pace, bounce and movement off the wicket in the match. It is good for him and for the team,” said the captain.

Asked if the team panicked after the first innings collapse, Sehwag said, “This happens to any team. Australia were shot out for a low score against Pakistan (in Sydney) but they came back strongly to win the game.”

SOURCE :- cricket.zeenews.com