Skipper Virender Sehwag butchered a lacklustre Pune Warriors India attack as Delhi Daredevils romped home by eight wickets in an Indian Premier League encounter in Pune on Tuesday.
Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said fit-again opener Virender Sehwag's form would be crucial as the visitors aim for a Test series triumph in Sri Lanka for the first time in 17 years.
Virender Sehwag registered his best figures in One-Day Internationals on Wednesday, claiming four wickets for six runs. His strike-rate of 4.25 (balls per wicket) is the best by any bowler capturing at least four wickets in an ODI.
Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene on Friday replaced Virender Sehwag as the captain of IPL team Delhi Daredevils for next month's Champions League Twenty20 after the Indian sought to be relieved of the job to "bat more freely".
The first Test got spicier as Indian opener Virender Sehwag was on Tuesday involved in an altercation with Australian pacers James Pattinson and Peter Siddle during the visitors' first innings.
Stylish batsman Cheteshwar Pujara comes with the reputation of a good Test cricketer, according to former opener Virender Sehwag, who hoped that the Indian batting mainstay improves his skills in T20 cricket and gets picked by an Indian Premier League franchise in the next season.
Virender Sehwag rebutted John Wright's charge that there was zonal bias in team selection.
Steve Waugh said Dravid should not be written off after just two failures and he would prove a perfect foil for Sehwag.
Their move to bench Morne Morkel raised quite a few eyebrows but Delhi Daredevils skipper Virender Sehwag said that it was the injury to Irfan Pathan that forced them to change the team combination ahead of IPL's qualifier II against Chennai Super Kings.
The Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) is still mum on whether it would arrange a felicitation ceremony for the retired legend Virender Sehwag, with their standard answer being "no communication from BCCI".
Virender Sehwag got out cheaply twice during the Indian team's practice match in Ahmedabad on Monday.
"I think he (Sehwag) is in good form, he has been batting well at the nets. We are not very worried," Dravid said.
In the opening ODI match at Mohali against Australia on Friday, Surya struck a flawless 49 ball 50 which included five fours and a six.
Vivian Richards wants Virender Sehwag to put more method in his batting and produce the goods for his team
Dashing India opener Virender Sehwag on Saturday exuded confidence that he would be fully fit for the seven-match one-day international series at home against Australia, commencing in Baroda on October 25.
The former India captain rated Anil Kumble as the best captain he had played under.
Cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday came out in support of Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur, who is in the eye of a storm over free speech, even as Virender Sehwag defended himself after facing a backlash for ridiculing her.
The Delhi batsman said Sourav Ganguly had supported players like him, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif early in their career
Check out what Virender Sehwag's team-mates and other celebrities had to say on Twitter on his world record double century.
India won the toss and elected to field in the seventh and final ODI against England.
While at a press briefing, BCCI Media Committee member G S Walia said a decision on Sehwag's availability would be made only on Monday.
The cricketing fraternity has paid glorious tributes to just-retired Virender Sehwag with India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni leading from the front, comparing his destructive batting with that of legendary Viv Richards.
Stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag said the absence of senior players had made things difficult for the team
Virender Sehwag on Friday slipped to fifth position, loss of one place, in the ICC ranking for the Test batsmen but his fellow opener Gautam Gambhir held on to his top position.
'Watching Virat Kohli master the chase with remarkable consistency is becoming a routine for us.'
Opener Virender Sehwag is set to return, while all-rounder Yusuf Pathan is likely to be axed when the selectors pick the Indian squad for the first two One-dayers against Australia in Chennai.
Former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja has described Indian opener Virender Sehwag as the most destructive and entertaining batsman in modern cricket.
Sunil Gavaskar wrote Virender Sehwag's 180 in the second Test against the West Indies reminded him of Viv Richards
Pune Warriors skipper Sourav Ganguly said that his Delhi Daredevils counterpart Virender Sehwag's dismissal at a crucial juncture turned the game in his side's favour in their IPL match played in New Delhi on Saturday.
"Sehwag batted beautifully and it is good to see him back," said the India captain.
After being out of action for nearly four months due to a shoulder injury, Indian opener Virender Sehwag returned to the cricket field on Sunday at a corporate tourney in Chandigarh. The Delhi marauder has been signed up by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries and would be representing the corporate entity in the J P Atray tournament in progress at Chandigarh.
The crucial meeting between Virender Sehwag, who has triggered a virtual players' revolt against Delhi adminstrators, and DDCA President Arun Jaitley will be held on Tuesday to try and resolve the issues raised by the senior cricketers.
The Indian cricket team think-tank's urge to play more all-rounders in recent years has got a lot to do with the current crop of top-order batters not rolling their arms over unlike some of their illustrious seniors from the bygone era.
Tendulkar praised Team India and said in every session there was a new hero who stepped up to the occasion to deliver for his side.
Ahead of India's first assignment this year, vice-captain Virender Sehwag on Saturday told his team-mates to maintain the kind of consistency that has made them the No 1 Test team in the world.
Delhi Daredevils skipper Virender Sehwag has blamed his bowlers and fielders for their six-wicket thrashing against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League match in New Delhi on Monday.
Delhi Daredevils skipper Virender Sehwag says 'team unity' is the reason behind the success of his side in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League.
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