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It was obvious I had to bat longer: Sehwag

April 30, 2011 21:31 IST

Delhi Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag said that he was determined to bat throughout the innings against Kochi Tuskers Kerala in an Indian Premier League match in Kochi on Saturday.

Sehwag led from the front with a 47-ball 80 to guide Delhi to a challenging 157 for seven and then his bowlers, led by Morne Morkel (3/18) and Roelof van der Merwe (3/20), responded brilliantly to bowl out Kochi for 119 and register a 38-run win.

"Absolutely happy. The wicket was not easy, I took the responsibility and once we crossed 120, I thought we had got par. We were very happy we got 158," Sehwag said.

"I was hitting the ball nicely, it was obvious I had to bat longer. I told myself if I just stayed longer we could get 130, a good total on this wicket. And then just told my bowlers to bowl straight, and the wicket would do the rest," he added.

Kochi skipper Mahela Jayawardene said that Sehwag's brilliance up the order took the game away from his side.

"130-140 would have been competitive, but 160 is tough. Viru batted really well and it was crucial to get him early," he said.

He also said that after a relatively good start Kochi bowlers were not up to their mark in the last 10 overs of Delhi innings.

"The way we bowled in the last 10, we didn't have any control over things. We didn't bowl good areas. The first 10 we were good," Jayawardene said.

Asked about the unpredictable low Nehru Stadium wicket on offer in Saturday's match, he said: "Just the low bounce. The best thing was to bat without thinking too much about it."

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