He has always gone with his gut feelings. When the entire world was narrating Virender Sehwag’s story of missed chances, something inside him told that the climax would be zarra hat ke, and very much in his own ishtyle. So Sehwag is back in the limelight, arising from the remotest corners of selection strategies. The Delhi opener was drafted into the Test team for the Australia tour, even after he was left out of the initial list of 24 probables.“I was confident that I always had a chance to go to Australia. Even after I was left out of the 24, I had a feeling that maybe I still stood a chance. Now that I have made it, I am feeling really proud of being selected and get a chance to do a duty that’s considered a great challenge for any cricketer. I have done well against Australia in the past, opening the innings there, and I will do well again this time,” Sehwag said, on his return from Nagothane after leading Delhi to a win over Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy game. He scored just 9 in the first innings and didn’t get a second stint in the game.Sehwag is not unduly worried about his recent lack of form. “I am not at all worried. Why should I be? I know from within how it’s (his batting form) panning out. I have some time with me; 2-3 days is also a good time and I have more time in Australia too. I have decided to go back on my tried and tested theory that got me my previous success in Australia. I am going back to my academy and start to practise long hours on cemented wickets with synthetic balls to counter the bounce and pace of those wickets,” he said.Sehwag was grateful to those who stood by him in his lean phase. “It’s great to know that you have people who support you to the hilt. It’s a great feeling to be backed when you are not scoring many runs because then you know that they understand your true calibre. Now it’s time for me to prove them right,” he said.The 29-year-old, who has played 52 Test matches in his career, has been called back into the Test team after a span of 11 months. He last played in the Cape Town Test against South Africa and since then missed two full tours of Bangladesh and England. His inclusion gives another angle to the already loaded batting line-up and the opening slot debate, with attempts already being made to convince Rahul Dravid to open and accommodate the in-form Yuvraj Singh in the middle order.
