England did not let me stay quiet: Sehwag

Virender Sehwag tells DNA that his blazing innings in Chennai was not premeditated.

Are you not being too modest? You did so well and yet you were giving credit to others. India won the Test because of the start you provided? Is it not?
No, it is not. That is not the whole story. I gave the start but it was because of Sachin (Tendulkar) and Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) only we won. If Yuvraj or Sachin had got out at that stage we would have been in trouble. They had to bat patiently. There was something in the wicket for the bowlers. I think Sachin and Yuvraj batted
excellently. So the credit cannot be only one person’s.

You were asked to chase a very difficult target. You had more than 100 overs yet you started out as if you were playing a Twenty20 game.
They bowled outside the off-stump asking for square-cuts. I discussed their line of attack with Gautam Gambhir. The ball also was coming on to the bat nicely, it was getting good bounce. But, frankly, I had no choice but to attack.

Was it a premeditated attack?
Not really. I wanted to spend time and judge the pitch before going after the bowlers. But they did not let me stay quiet.

But what is the secret behind your new-found consistency? Plain hard-work or are you making adjustments to your batting?
The credit largely goes to our coach Gary Kirsten. He never tried to change my style of play. In stead, he has encouraged me and backed my game. He has told me not to compromise on my natural game. His methods are simple. He told me, ‘Boss I cannot teach a batsman like you who has played more than 60 Tests and about 200 ODIs.’ We also spend a lot of time at the nets improving on various things. When you have such backing from the coach, the captain and the team management, your confidence goes up. I think Gary is the best coach India has ever had. I have not seen a better coach.

What is it between you and Gautam Gambhir that is ticking? You are becoming the most formidable opening pair in world cricket today.
We enjoy each other’s company. We compliment each other. We try to be relaxed. Some times we even sing songs between the mid-pitch chats. We both admire each other’s batting. Our understanding is very good and we enjoy our partnership.

You have batted well in the ODIs as well.
I tried to do what was expected of me. My job is to give the team a good start and I’m happy I could manage that. The most important thing is that we won the series. It gave us a lot of confidence going into the Test series.

You are the vice-captain of the team. The extra-responsibility seems to be firing you up.
Not at all. It hardly matters whether I’m the vice-captain or not. I’m a senior member of the team and I’ve to do what is expected of me. I’ve to take up some responsibility and deliver the goods. My foremost job is to ensure the team gets a good start.

Finally, would you like to give any advice to Rahul Dravid?
No, I do not want to comment on other players.