The Hindu : Sport : I got my rhythm back: Sehwag

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I got my rhythm back: Sehwag

Canberra: Virender Sehwag said on Saturday that he was confident his century in the tour game here would win him a spot in the third Test at Perth.

“I expect to play,” said Sehwag. “It’s a team-management decision and obviously I’ll have to follow the rules. There’s good competition in the side. I thought I would play earlier but Wasim (Jaffer) and Yuvraj (Singh) had scored runs against Pakistan so they had to play. Today I got my rhythm back, I got everything back.”

Asked if he wanted to open, Sehwag said he was happy to bat anywhere as long as he got his Test “seat” back. “Perth will be a true wicket,” he said. “It’s good if it has pace and bounce because you can play your strokes on it. I love facing challenges and four fast bowlers will be good for me.”

The 29-year-old said he had decided to fall back on his trusted method during the second innings of the tour match — an approach he will take to the third Test should he be recalled.

“In the first innings I was just trying to stay at the wicket. In the second I decided to play positively. The ball was not coming on, and I thought I’ll play my shots because that’s how I’ve played in the past. If I play at Perth, I will play with the same mindset. I never see a pitch before a Test match.”

Sehwag said he had worked on the mental aspect of his game during his time out of the national side. He lapsed into negative thoughts, which he had to overcome.

“I took up Yoga and breathing exercises which have helped me,” he said.

India, said Sehwag, could defeat Australia at Perth if it plays attacking cricket. “You can’t think about being 2-0 down, you have to play with a positive mind. We know we can beat them and everyone is looking forward to it.” — Special Correspondent

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