Having brought up his first score of any significance since the World Cup hundred against Bermuda in March, Virender Sehwag said he was now desperate to get into the Test eleven.

“I just want to play Test cricket, it doesn't matter to me whether it is as an opener or in the middle-order,” the 29-year-old said on Saturday evening. “I am happier playing Test cricket than one-day cricket. In Tests, you have plenty of time to play yourself in. In one-dayers, you think not just about runs and overs, but also worry about field placements. It is good to play Test cricket when you are not in form.”

Sehwag said he was confident of figuring in the eleven for the Perth Test. “I am very confident,” offered the man who has never been shy of that commodity. “I have got my rhythm back. The Perth wicket is good for batsmen too, and not just for fast bowlers. There will be pace and bounce, so you can play your shots. I have played two one-dayers in Perth, and I made runs too.

Positive play

“As a team, we must play positively in Perth. If we play well, we know that we can beat them. Everyone is looking forward to that. The Perth pitch is a true wicket. If Australia play four bowlers, it will be a good challenge and I love challenges. I am feeling very good. Hopefully, I will play in Perth. If I do so, I want to grab that opportunity and get my Test place back on a permanent basis.”

Explaining the difference in his approach between the first and second innings here, the Delhi opener went on, “In the first innings, I tried to spend some time in the middle. Today, the pitch played a bit slow and the ball was not coming on. I decided to be positive. I told myself that if the ball was there to hit, I would hit it. That's how I have played in the past, and I decided to stick to the game that has brought me success.”

Sehwag admitted that he had come to Australia believing he would play in the first Test itself. “I was expecting to play,” said India's only Test triple centurion. “There is good competition in the team. Yuvraj and Wasim got runs against Pakistan, and they deserved to play.”

On his own preparations during time away from the national side, he revealed, "I sorted out my mindset. I figured out that I was in a negative frame of mind, trying to play too many strokes though I was not among the runs. I decided to try to spend time and not play shots unless the ball was there to hit.”

There has been so much controversy post Sydney, but Sehwag opted to not dwell on it. “In Sydney, we were together as a team, and we are in good nick now. We are here to play cricket, and not worry about controversies. We want to play in good spirit.”