JAMSHEDPUR: Virender Sehwag on Tuesday acknowledged the shift in generation in Indian cricket.

"First we had the Sunil Gavaskar era, then the Sachin Tendulkar era. Now more and more youngsters are coming in, so things keep changing. We have been dependent on Sourav (Ganguly), Sachin and Rahul (Dravid) for a while. The burden now is on the youngsters. It will be a difficult task, but hopefully, we will do well."

When asked if M.S. Dhoni could play a role high in the batting order, Sehwag said, "He has been playing down the order and not getting too many opportunities to show what he is capable of in this series. Our plan is to play him up the order here."

Heat factor

The heat factor was at the back of the mind of the Indian cricketers but Sehwag noted, "We are used to it, it is hot all over India at this time of the year. It will be a little more difficult for England (players), who may not have seen such heat. It's already 44 degrees and tomorrow, when the crowd comes in, it will feel like 54!"

Sehwag did not agree with people terming this as an England `B' team. "It doesn't matter if people say it is an `A' side or a `B' team. Once you are playing for the country, you are playing at the highest level. There is no doubt England are missing seniors, but they have been playing fairly well. We are also missing Sachin through injury, but we are also doing well, which is why we are leading 4-0."

About the conditions

On the playing conditions, Sehwag said, "The pitch and the ground are fine, though the stands for the fans are a matter of concern. But we are pretty happy with the cricketing facilities. The dressing room facilities are very good and the hotel is excellent."

Sehwag spoke on the crowd behaviour at Guwahati. "You must keep in mind that some of them came from far away places. But they were rude. A couple of policemen were injured and some television cameras were destroyed. I can understand their feelings at having been deprived of an opportunity to watch a game of cricket, but they should have kept their feelings in check."

Team goals

For England, Kevin Pietersen defended his team and his own form.

"I have made four or five fifties, but I have not been able to convert them into bigger knocks, and that is something I am going to look to do in the next couple of games. It's not that I chucked my wicket away or anything like that.

"As a team, we did set goals coming to India, and while we have achieved some of those goals, we have not reached some others, especially in terms of some of the hundreds and the wickets we wanted to take as a team."

He continued, "I wouldn't call it an opportunity missed. It is a case of coming out here and learning things. I can only speak for myself, and hopefully, I have been learning a bit. I am sure everyone else looked at it as a challenge, has learnt a few things and is leaving a better player.

"Playing in India is a great challenge. This is more of a mental tour than anything else, the heat and playing world-class spinners."

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