Viru blames it on batting
Stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag was his poised self as he addressed the media on Thursday after Australia completed the 4-0 rout of India.
The only time perhaps impatience crept into him was when someone reminded about the whitewash, and Sehwag immediately shot back. “We won 2-0 in India.” Then he settled into a slower tempo, tackling each questions with patience.
On two successive away series defeats: We didn’t bat well in England, and over here also we didn’t. Top six or seven batsmen didn’t score enough runs for the bowlers to win the game. In England Dravid scored (three) hundreds, and here only Virat scored a hundred. It happens with every team. We have to rebuild the team and we’ll think about it.
The positive for the Indian team is that a youngster has scored his first hundred in Australia. Couple of other positives in the way of Umesh Yadav and Ashwin, Zaheer and Ishant bowled.
On his batting: Yes, I am disappointed. In the first innings here I got out to a full toss, and in the second innings I stepped out seeing the full toss. I thought it was bound to be hit for a four or a six, and I just tried to hit and ended up getting out. That’s the way I play. Yes, it’s important for an opener to do well overseas, and I haven’t done well. So, I need to look at myself.
On the lack of partnerships: We were not able to convert our fifty-partnerships into hundreds, and 200s and 300s, so I think that was lacking. In the first Test at Melbourne, Dravid and Tendulkar made a good partnership of 70-80 runs. Sachin got out to a good ball, and the next morning Rahul got out. Whenever we built a good partnership we were not able to convert it into a big one, which we had done well in the past. Last time I remember we were 80 for a few in Adelaide and Dravid and Laxman put up a 300-run partnership. This time those partnerships didn’t happen.
On the way forward: The best way out is to forget what happened and to concentrate on what you will do in coming matches and coming series.
On the need to have a review after such a heavy loss: It’s an invidivudal thing. I haven’t performed well overseas, so I have to look at myself and see what I need to do when I go to Australia or England or South Africa or New Zealand. It’s my personal thing.
On fan reaction: They should be upset with our performances, and I agree with them. But this is the time fans should back the team. When we won the World Cup everybody was happy, now is the time we need the support from fans and media.
Media should back their team. Media in England or Australia or South Africa back their teams. They criticise in such a manner that the players will not go down when they read the articles and see the television.
On Fletcher: He is a good coach. He is talking a lot to batsmen and giving his inputs, and making a lot of strategies. When you can’t execute your strategy nothing happens. So, why should we blame him? It’s the players who let the team down, not the support staff.
On how serious the team is about away defeats: Everybody cares about his performance. We are trying, but it is not happening. It doesn’t mean we are happy to lose.
