New Delhi: He is perceived to be a fearless batsman, but flamboyant Virender Sehwag says he feels “nervous” and has butterflies in his tummy whenever he faces the first ball but never shows it to the bowler.
“Every time when I go to the crease and prepare to face the first ball, I’m nervous and there are butterflies in my tummy. I never show it because if the bowler senses it, he’ll come hard at me and try to put me under pressure”, Sehwag said.
“I have to send across a message to the bowler, ‘I’m here to face you with a lot of aggression and confidence’, whether I play a defensive shot or an attacking one”, he said.
Sehwag reckoned that it was his mental strength and the self-confidence which has helped him to dominate the bowlers in international cricket.
“I have the self confidence and the belief that I can play well against any team and score against any bowling attack”, he told the BCCI’s official website on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old Sehwag said that he has changed his approach of late to hang in for some time before playing his strokes.
“Now I’m a little more careful about how the wicket is behaving, whether the ball is swinging or not and how the bowling attack is. I give a little more time to myself to understand the conditions and situation well and then plan my innings accordingly.
“Having said that, if somebody bowls a half-volley on a green top, I’ll still go after it and I’ll still play my square cuts if the ball is pitched short outside the off-stump.
“But if a bowler is bowling in good areas, I have to give respect to the new ball rather than the bowler. If I do that and play 10-12 overs with caution, the ball gets old by the time and the bowlers start to get a bit tired. Then, I can take them on,” Sehwag said.
Asked what was the difference between opening the batting with Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir, he said he was under less pressure when Tendulkar was his partner.
“When I’m batting with Tendulkar, there’s less pressure on me because the opponents are all concentrating on getting him out. With Gautam, the bowlers are worried about getting me out rather than him. Hence I have to be careful.” (PTI)