Dubai: Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag may no longer be a nightmare for bowlers like he used to be in his heyday, but his presence in the Kings XI team is an inspiration for the players. More than the runs he scores, the team is benefitting from his experience.
Kings XI Punjab skipper George Bailey said that, unlike other teams, his squad does not have superstars in the support staff but has a great player like Sehwag in the team. “We have a legend in Virender Sehwag within our team who’s still playing, so we can learn from him.
“The guys we have may not have been superstar players but they had to work really, really hard to be as good as they were. So they understand hard work, they understand the battles players have to go through to have good games. Our coaching staff is really level-headed. They understand that it’s a difficult game,” Bailey said.
Though Bailey accepts that Sehwag has not played any whirlwind knocks so far in the IPL, he feels that his contributions at the top of the batting order have been immense. “Viru [Sehwag] is really handy. He was a bit unlucky tonight with his dismissal [against Royal Challengers Bangalore], but he controlled the innings really well. When you’re chasing low totals, you want someone in your top three or four to take control of the game, take control of the momentum.
“When you’re chasing a low total, it’s only the pressure that you put on yourself and how well the opposition bowls. Viru [Sehwag] with his experience has been through so many situations before. When I’m sitting on the bench, I’m sure some of the younger guys, they see him controlling the innings, still finding his boundaries and milking the bowling for singles, it just brings a sense of calm to the whole team.”
So far in the IPL, Sehwag has crossed 30s thrice in his five innings.
