Karan114 Posted July 7, 2011 Posted July 7, 2011 I'm a week away from peak fitness: Sehwag Nitin Naik, TNN | Jul 8, 2011 MUMBAI: Virender Sehwag might be nursing a shoulder injury which has kept him away from the limelight, but he hasn't lost the gift of the gab or his intolerance in dealing with impertinence. "I feel good facing the media after a long gap," he joked on arrival at a promotional event and also said, "I had heard that the rains has deserted Mumbai. "But since I was coming to this city, may be the rain Gods decided to show up again to welcome me," he said. He quickly got into serious mode though and didn't share the opinion of the media and the pundits that the search for India's perfect opening pair starts and ends with Sehwag and Gambhir. Sehwag, while lamenting the fact that the younger crop didn't avail of the opportunities on the West Indies tour, offered a thumbs up to Tamil Nadu's Abhinav Mukund. Sharing the opinion of the legendary opening batsman, Sunil Gavaskar, who in his TOI column had praised the southpaw for his battling approach, Sehwag said, "Mukund has done well in the West Indies and he is a talented batsman. If you see his domestic record, he has more centuries than half-centuries and he also has a triple hundred," he said. On the other youngsters missing on the opportunity to make a mark, Sehwag felt, "When the senior players are rested or don't travel on a tour due to injury, talented youngsters are picked and they should exploit such opportunities." However, he quickly added that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are blessed with a lot of talent and have done reasonably well. Known for his clarity and uncluttered approach, the dynamic opener was surprisingly unclear about his injury status. To the media, he stated, "It'll still take me a week to get back to peak fitness and I'll be travelling to NCA in Bangalore to resume batting practice." However, when a fan questioned him about the same and told him that the media has reported about the possibility of him missing the first Test at Lord's (starting July 21) and be fully fit only for the second Test starting in Trent Bridge (starting July 29), an irritated Sehwag thundered, "Why do you believe everything that's written in the papers? Everything that's written in the papers isn't true." What is true though is the fact that Sehwag is an uninhibited supporter of the UDRS. He once again stressed his love for the technology. "I'm a big fan of it. Even the Hawk-Eye is a good tool." One wonders how the BCCI and Sehwag's idol, Sachin Tendulkar will react to that quote as they haven't been advocates of the hawk-eye and the ball-tracking system. What they will react positively to is the fact that the opener has made his plans for ace England off-spinner Graeme Swann. "When they were here in 2008, we faced him well and that too on a fifth-day pitch. We chased 387 to win the Test in Chennai. I will study him and plan accordingly." If he does master the offie and the potent England attack comprising of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Tremlett, he should emulate VVS Laxman, who recently became the fourth Indian batsman to achieve the milestone of 8,000 Test runs. He is 306 runs shy of that target at the moment. Trent Bridge is where he made his mark as a Test opener, scoring a gutsy hundred there in 2002 and if one is a believer in lucky omens, then Trent Bridge could be the venue where the journey from a good opener to a great one is complete. There's another lucky omen too for all you Sehwag fans. The last time he was part of a touring team as a 17th member, he scored a 150-odd in Adelaide in 2007-08. That was a start of a remarkable comeback. He had missed the first two Tests then. Four years later, he's touring England too and yes as a 17th member. What's next? Do we see Andrew Strauss worried? http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/india-in-england/top-stories/Im-a-week-away-from-peak-fitness-Sehwag/articleshow/9143016.cms
Misu243 Posted July 8, 2011 Posted July 8, 2011 Further warning signs for Team England...Really Team India is starting to look more complete with the fast bowlers coming to the party. ZAKKY, ISHANT, MUNAF, PRAVEEN, SREESANTH, BHAJAN, MISHRA dream line up.
Sir_Afridi Posted July 8, 2011 Posted July 8, 2011 Sehwag is not going to be a factor in England. Remember what happened in SA & NZ and this time he will be coming from a long lay off.
gaurav92 Posted July 8, 2011 Posted July 8, 2011 ^We shall see that soon :nice: Come on Veeru, we want you back in the side
Texan Posted July 8, 2011 Posted July 8, 2011 When they say that, it means they're at least one month away from playing any form of cricket. Remember - Munaf only had a small niggle and he missed 2 Tests.
King Tendulkar Posted July 8, 2011 Posted July 8, 2011 Sehwag is not going to be a factor in England. Remember what happened in SA & NZ and this time he will be coming from a long lay off. He has not had a long lay off at all. In fact rest may have primed him
J P K Posted July 11, 2011 Posted July 11, 2011 "I am fit to play in the first Test against England."-VIRU n a contradictory statement to the one issued by the BCCI after the selection committee meeting last Saturday, India's premier opener, Virender Sehwag, said, "I am fit to play in the first Test against England." The Indian board had said the Delhi batsman would join the team in England a fortnight late, which in essence would mean that he would miss the first tour game and the inaugural Test. Talking at a promotional event here, Sehwag said, "I did bat at the NCA in Bangalore during my rehab period, though it will take a week for me to regain complete fitness. And yes, I am looking forward to the England tour." England's premier spin bowler, Graeme Swann, the number two ranked Test bowler in the world, is being projected as a major threat to the Indian batsmen on the upcoming tour. However, Sehwag dismissed it by saying, spin is India's strength. "The last time England toured here, they had him in the line-up. We still chased 380-odd in the last innings of a Test (at Chennai in December, 2008). Indians are good against spin," exclaimed Sehwag.http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/HTEditImages/Images/08_07_11-metro18b.jpg One who is known to speak his mind, Sehwag has always supported the use of technology in decision-making in cricket. The BCCI, who up till now was hell-bent against the use of the Decision Review System (DRS), have agreed to its use after coming under pressure from the world cricket fraternity. Still, Sehwag and the BCCI don't agree on all points of the DRS. The board is against the use of Hawk-eye and have succeeded in convincing other nations against the use of it in DRS, but Sehwag holds an absolutely opposite opinion. Sehwag said, "I am completely happy with the DRS. I am also happy with Hawk-eye." Yuvi wants to cement his place IANS adds: India's flamboyant middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh is looking at the England tour to cement his place in the Test side. Yuvraj has managed to play 34 Tests since making his debut in 2003 and has been in and out of the side. "In terms of one-day cricket everything has been good for me, but in Test cricket I suppose the graph reads a bit up and down. Cricket is my game though and I am going to give this Test series my level best, I will give my 100 per cent," said Yuvraj. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Another-twist-to-Viru-tale-batsman-says-he-is-fit-amp-fine/Article1-718652.aspx
SachDan Posted July 11, 2011 Posted July 11, 2011 I hope he's not rushing himself in, thus risking aggravation of his existing problems.
Sid Posted July 11, 2011 Posted July 11, 2011 BCCI didnt even consult Viru on his fitness and said he wil miss out on the initial part of the tour :hmmm:,something is wrong somewhere.
Cricket Tragic Posted July 11, 2011 Posted July 11, 2011 BCCI didnt even consult Viru on his fitness and said he wil miss out on the initial part of the tour :hmmm:' date='something is wrong somewhere.[/quote'] Yeah, wtf is going on? :cantstop:
pensionplan Posted July 11, 2011 Posted July 11, 2011 This guy has a history of shooting off his mouth anyway. It should not be up to him if he wants to play or not. Unless he plays the 3 day game on the 15th there is no chance in hell they should play him in the 1st Test. To me despite how he feels (A player always wants to play even with niggles if it was up to them) they should not play him till the 3rd Test before which he has to appear in the FC game versus the Northants and get some match practice and more importantly show that he has recovered to withstand the rigors of the 5 day cricket again. I think BCCI should make it a rule for a player to appear in one or two first class games without exceptions that are out for an extended period of time owing to surgeries or injuries before being considered eligible for Test cricket. Come on now.
Ramzz Posted July 11, 2011 Posted July 11, 2011 He needs match practice before playing a test, I agree with the above poster that if he does not play the warm up game then he shouldn't play in the test.
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