Sehwag, Dahiya come of age

By Vijay Lokapally

BANGALORE, MARCH 26. The evening was illuminated by fireworks organised by Vijay Dahiya and Virender Sehwag at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Both had been under pressure to deliver and being statemates and room-mates came in handy in supporting each other.

``Dahiya has been a great help,'' gushed Sehwag. The response from Dahiya was equally warm. ``He is a tremendous cricketer and this was just a glimpse of his potential,'' said the wicket- keeper batsman.

Dahiya and Sehwag excelling on the big stage must have gladdened National selector Madan Lal, who had all along placed lot of faith in them.

It was immense relief for Dahiya since he was returning to the big league after suffering injuries and his gutsy innings went a long way in pushing the latter half of the Indian innings. Not one finger is in shape. ``Who will put the wedding ring on a broken finger,'' joked Dahiya, quite an eligible bachelor at 26.

For Sehwag, it was a relief too since he had come to acquire the reputation of a batsman in a hurry. Lack of guidance, and not confidence, had been his worry but this performance should place him in a comfortable spot for some time to come.

At 22, Sehwag, fondly called ``Viru'' by his mates, has age and motivation on his side. In Delhi, he had made waves with his big hitting, the organisers of local tournaments often ending up with lost balls. If Sehwag was scheduled to bat, they would put a few extra balls in the kitbag. But it was this penchant to slam the ball that often saw Sehwag get out to poor strokes as he became a star in local cricket with request for appearance coming from all corners of the capital. All wanting to see him clout the bowlers.

The small grounds in Delhi did spoil Sehwag's approach since he looked to belt the ball at the first opportunity. Fielders in the deep would warm up at the sight of Sehwag walking in and often he would oblige. ``He is wasting his talent,'' the seniors in the Delhi team would say as Sehwag batted with the same attitude even in first-class cricket.

One remembers his debut at Mohali against Pakistan two years ago and the dreadful heave when he tried to whack Shoaib Akhtar. Sehwag paid dearly and went out of the reckoning until he compelled the selectors to take a fresh look at him with some big scores in domestic cricket.

``He can kill the spinners at will,'' former Delhi skipper Maninder Singh would rave even as well-wishers and coaches, A.N. Sharma, Surender Khanna and Satish Sharma, worked with the all- rounder, trying to make him understand that he needed to learn the art of building the innings.

Bishan Singh Bedi, the chief coach of the Delhi team, made a lasting impact on Sehwag. ``You can't hit a six off every ball,'' the lad was reminded sternly and the point was ingrained in his mind. ``Bedi paaji was a big influence no doubt. He made me realise the importance of my wicket,'' admitted Sehwag.

There was a remarkable change in his approach even though he had a string of big scores in domestic cricket last season too, notably an aggressive double century against South Zone in the Duleep Trophy. In the Duleep Trophy this season, Sehwag emerged a reliable batsman for North Zone with a century each against South and West.

The hundred against West was a gem, coming as it did on a seaming track at Mohali. ``That century gave me lot of confidence,'' remarked Sehwag, who is employed as an Assistant Manager in Oil and Natural Gas Commission.

Sehwag controlled his impetuous strokeplay and concentrated on playing shots on the ground. ``In the big league, I realised it was not advisable to belt every ball. I also discovered that waiting for the bad ball was important when playing against strong teams,'' he said.

In the company of Rahul Dravid, this exciting batsman prospered to notch his maiden half century in his third one-day innings.

Sourav Ganguly praised Sehwag lavishly. ``He is a hard hitter and a very useful bowler. Just the kind of cricketer who can raise the spirits of the team,'' Ganguly remarked.

Dahiya, working with Indian Airlines as an Assistant Commercial Manager, too had worked hard on his game. This unsung keeper- batsman is a brilliant student of the game and his mates in the Delhi dressing room would vouch for the man's integrity.

Team before self has always remained Dahiya's philosophy and he demonstrated his passion with that splendid innings at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Thrilled by that knock, Sachin Tendulkar was the first to commend Dahiya's effort, which played a major part in carrying India past the 300-mark.

Dahiya, a good strokeplayer and a great thrust to the batting line up in the lower order, has always valued the honour of playing cricket for the national team. ``When I play for the country nothing else works on my mind. All my career I have concentrated on playing for the team and not myself because it is not an individual sport.

``Even in the Delhi dressing room we keep telling ourselves that we have to perform as a team. When we win, it is the team which wins and not the individuals,'' Dahiya gave an insight to his thinking. No wonder, he comes off as such an intense person on the field, talking to the bowlers constantly and keeping the captain informed with some useful technical input in tight situations.

Dahiya has had a history of injuries but he has never shirked from responsibilities. He has often played crucial matches in domestic cricket even at the cost of aggravating injuries. ``A splendid team-man,'' is how his mates recognise Dahiya.

The dapper Delhi skipper's strong point is his modesty. ``You have to keep your feet on the ground to move up in life,'' he keeps reminding himself. Sehwag, described as a great asset to the team by Ganguly, would do well to remember Dahiya's words.

He can certainly grow in the company of Dahiya, a shining example of discipline and hard work. The two Delhi cricketers complement each other well and promise to serve the team long with proper backing from the selectors and the captain.

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