da 888casino： Virender Sehwag and Dinesh Karthik spoke to the media after India’s convincing win in their inaugural Twenty20 match at the Wanderers
Dileep Premachandran at Johannesburg01-Dec-2006
Dinesh Karthik comes good: ‘The team managementtold me what was expected of me, and Iprepared well’ © Getty Images
Virender Sehwag said that the Indian team would take tremendous confidencefrom their victory in the Pro20 game, and praised both his bowlers andbatsmen for the six-wicket victory at the Wanderers.”We clicked in both batting and bowling,” said Sehwag. “It’s a team game,doesn’t matter who performs. An Indian win is what matters.”It was India’s first experience of the Twenty20 format, with the inauguralWorld Cup less than a year away, and Sehwag was delighted with theexperience. “It’s an exciting form of the game and it’s very fast-paced,”he said. “You can learn with experience, and I’m sure that the Indianpublic will enjoy it when it’s held there.”Sehwag added that India’s first domestic Twenty20 tournament would help inpopularising the format. “It’s important to play it at the domestic levelbecause you can’t go into the World Cup next year without experience. Theselectors too can gauge which are the Twenty20 players.”Dinesh Karthik, whose unbeaten 31 fetched him the master blaster award,basked in the glow of the performance. A six off the first ball of thefinal over bowled by Robin Peterson set up the win, and Karthik suggestedthat it had been part of the plan, with nine needed from six balls. “I wasconfident that I could pull off a big shot,” he said. “I had it all workedout in my mind. I knew there were a couple of areas where to hit.”Karthik indicated that India had always been in control of the run chase.”It was important that someone put up their hand and did well,” he said.”Viru gave us a good start and Dinesh [Mongia] played very well andconsolidated. It was important to get off to a good start and from thereon, we did pretty well.”Karthik has played as a specialist batsman on the tour, with MahendraSingh Dhoni keeping his place behind the stumps, and he distinguishedhimself with some superb stops in the outfield today. “The team managementtold me that I would be required and what was expected of me, and Iprepared well,” he said. “It was fantastic of them to tell me what wasexpected of me.”I really worked hard on my fielding and the results were there. I don’twant to be a liability on the field. I want to make sure that I’m one ofthe top three fielders in India. Even if I play as a batsman, I can stopruns in the field.”If I was competing as a wicketkeeper, my mindset would be different, butnow as I’m competing as a batsman I have more opportunity to do well. Ihave six slots to push myself into the team.”Sehwag had to face the inevitable questions about being stripped of thevice-captaincy for the Test series. “I don’t feel any pressure,” he said,when asked how he had responded. “If I’m not vice-captain, it does notmatter. I’m happy with whatever the selectors have decided.”VVS Laxman, who will now be Rahul Dravid’s deputy in the Tests, arrived inJohannesburg on Friday morning, and Sehwag said that his arrival wouldgive the team a boost. When asked to comment on Sourav Ganguly’s selectionin the squad, he suggested that too much shouldn’t be made of it. “He’llcome in like any other member [of the team],” he said. “There will be nospecial treatment. His record is very good, and he’s played here before.He knows how to handle pressure at any time.”