Mohali: India's Virender Sehwag thrashed the Australian attack for a quick half century to equal the world record for the highest number of consecutive half-centuries in Test cricket, on the second day of the first Test at the Mohali Cricket Stadium here on Saturday. However, the Australian journalists here have criticised him.
According to them, Mitchell Johnson, who had announced he would trap Sehwag with his short-pitched deliveries, has succeeded and that the fiery batsman has a weakness against rising deliveries.
One of the headlines in a leading Australian newspaper said "Johnson’s jibe hits home as short ball removes red-hot Sehwag."
Sehwag does not seem to be amused by all this. In fact, many bowlers in the past had claimed they would trap him with short-pitched balls outside the off stump and get him caught.
And Sehwag did fall a few times to such deliveries. But a short-pitched delivery outside the off stump has often been hit for a six by the dashing Delhi opener.
On several occasions, his slashed cut had sailed over the point boundary and landed into the stands!
Just before this series against Australia, when someone had asked him to comment on the criticism about his batting style, Sehwag cited a popular Hindi saying which translates into something like this: "When an elephant walks, many dogs bark, but the elephant keeps walking without showing any importance to the lesser creatures. And that is exactly how I like to deal with my critics."
No wonder the blaster believes in taking bouquets and brickbats in the same spirit.
