So, how did the foreign press react to first day's play at the Motera? Rediff.com brings you a summary of what the English Press felt.
Former India pacer Ajit Agarkar relives Virender Sehwag's magnificent century on his Test debut in 2001 and what made him such a difficult batsman to bowl at.
Virender Sehwag's string of poor scores in domestic cricket is likely to affect his chances of a lucrative deal in IPL 7. In fact, it is highly unlikely that he will be retained by his current franchise, Delhi Daredevils.
Injuries to Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan clouded India's preparations for the first Test against England, starting next week.
Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya defended his star players Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir's poor show stating that it is not a big concern.
Virender Sehwag's looked pretty rusty during his first session at the Delhi Ranji team's nets, where seasoned pros like Ashish Nehra and Ishant Sharma, and other net bowlers, troubled him with pace and bounce.
Former India cricket captain Kapil Dev conceded that the form slump of senior openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag is a big worry for the team ahead of the twin Test series against England and Australia.
The selectors chose from the list of 30 probables they had announced last month.
Virender Sehwag's wretched run in domestic cricket continued as the veteran opener failed to open his account but Delhi did manage to comfortably beat Punjab by four wickets to notch up their maiden win in the North Zone leg of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Karun Nair became only the second Indian to hit a triple century in Test cricket, when he smashed 303 not out on Day 4 of the fifth Test against England in Chennai on Monday.
India's senior batsman and opener, Virender Sehwag's finger injury and a suitable bowling combination for the team are two major concerns for India ahead of their opening ICC World Twenty20 Super Eight Game against Australia on Friday.
One thing is obvious when you watch Virender Sehwag bat. He is not chasing records or personal landmarks; he is out to destroy bowlers. Asked to describe his batting, Sehwag proudly declared: "I am an entertainer."
The Indian cricket team on Sunday were down with injury scares after openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were rendered doubtful starters for Monday's fourth ODI match against Australia in Mohali.
The fit-again duo of opening batsman Virender Sehwag and pacer Zaheer Khan is all set to return to the Indian squad after missing the Asia Cup when the selectors meet in Mumbai on Wednesday to choose the side for the upcoming cricket tour of Sri Lanka.
After the game, Shubman Gill expressed his determination to bounce back through a heartfelt tweet.
Suraj Randiv was suspended for one match and Tillakaratne Dilshan slapped a fine of 50 per cent of his match fees following an inquiry into the no-ball controversy that denied Virender Sehwag a century in the third ODI of the tri-series between India and Sri Lanka.
Rajneesh Gupta presents Virender Sehwag's amazing international career in numbers.
"He will be assessed in the nets tomorrow before we know whether he will be available for the game," the BCCI secretary said.
After being dropped for India's ongoing tour of England, Virender Sehwag wants to make a mark in next month's Twenty20 World Cup.
Former opener Virender Sehwag on Saturday questioned the Indian team's decision to bench Rishabh Pant during the ongoing five-match T20 International series in New Zealand and wondered if skipper Virat Kohli is properly communicating with the youngster. The 22-year-old Pant has not featured in any match for India since being concussed by a Pat Cummins bouncer during the Mumbai ODI against Australia in January.
Former opener Virender Sehwag feels India remain overwhelming favourites to win the World Twenty20 title and showered praise on Virat Kohli, saying that even his kids can't move away from the TV set when the batting star is at the crease. "I had picked India, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies before the start of the tournament. I still feel that way, with India winning the title 99 percent. Okay, they lost to New Zealand in Nagpur but the same thing happened in 2011 (when India lost to South Africa in Nagpur) and we went on to the win the World Cup," Sehwag told 'NDTV'. India's next match is against Bangladesh on March 23 and Sehwag sees the hosts winning it comfortably. Talking about India's win against Pakistan at the Eden Gardens, the former opener richly praised the team's batting mainstay Kohli. "The way Kohli is batting at the moment is amazing. It is difficult to take your eyes off the TV when he is batting. Even my kids want to see him bat," said Sehwag after being reminded of his witty one-liners while commentating on the Indo-Pak clash.
He was ripped apart by Virender Sehwag and company in the opening Test in Chennai. Despite polishing the tail to finish with four wickets he largely struggled on a flat wicket.
Graeme Smith and Shaun Pollock will captain the Rest of the World XI Test and ODI teams respectively.
While current coach Anil Kumble is an automatic entry into the process, the others in the fray are Australian Tom Moody and Englishman Richard Pybus.
The right-handed opener is regarded as one of the greats of Indian cricket and was one of their biggest match-winners, especially in Test cricket, where he scored 8,586 runs in 104 matches, with a strike rate of 82.23 and an average of 49.34, with 23 centuries, including two triple hundreds.
India survived some jittery moments at the fag end before snatching a thrilling 21-run win over Sri Lanka in the first One-dayer of the five-match series in Hambantota on Saturday.
Ajantha Mendis remained an unsolved mystery for the Indian cricket team during the Test series but skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni says the Sri Lankan spin wizard would not be much of a threat if openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir go after his loose deliveries in the one-dayers starting on Monday.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag has taken a dig at Chennai Super Kings' faltering IPL campaign, saying that some of their batsmen think of the franchise as a "government job" in which remuneration is assured irrespective of performance.
Rajneesh Gupta presents a detailed statistical look at Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir's record.
It was no surprise that Virender Sehwag emerged as the most valuable player (MVP) of the Sri Lanka Triangular series recently concluded in Dambulla (featuring India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka).
Dashing opener Virender Sehwag is the highest-ranked Indian batsman at the second spot in the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Sunday.
'If Mahendra Singh Dhoni announces retirement, he can prove to be a good option. He has played a lot of cricket and has won big tournaments.'
Virender Sehwag been ruled out of the ICC T20 World Cup. In-form Tamil Nadu batsman Murali Vijay will replace him in the India squad bound for the West Indies.
India opener Virender Sehwag is seemed to have found his lost touch having scored a century against Uttar Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy tie. The veteran hoped to carry on the good form in the upcoming four-match Test series against England.
Flawless hand-eye coordination and a simple batting philosophy where half-measures have no place allow Virender Sehwag to compensate for other shortcomings and make himself invaluable to India.
Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, who missed the last ODI series in Sri Lanka, are set to return to the Indian limited overs squad when the national selectors meet in Nagpur on Wednesday to name the team for the seven-match series against England commencing on November 14 at Rajkot.
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