Gambhir is next superstar, says delighted Sehwag

On Tuesday, Sehwag went one better, anointing the left-hander the ‘next superstar of Indian cricket’.

“I think he is one of the best openers after Sunil Gavaskar,” Sehwag told newsmen after he and Gambhir put on 233 on day one of the second Test against Sri Lanka. “The way he is playing, I am sure he will emulate Gavaskar’s feat of reaching 10 Test hundreds in 32 matches.

“He is a very good and talented player who loves to score hundreds,” added Sehwag of Gambhir, whose 167 was his fourth on the trot and seventh in his last nine Tests. “He has scored five consecutive hundreds in first-class cricket. The kind of form he is in, he can score a hundred every Test. He is the next superstar of the Indian team.”

 Sehwag himself survived a torrid early period, dropped on nought and struggling to find his touch before opening up to score his 16th Test ton. “I knew there would be some moisture, the new ball would do something and I’d have to be careful. I was telling myself see off eight-10 overs and then everything will fall in place. I concentrated hard, left balls outside off-stump. I worked hard for the first one and a half hours and after that I played my shots.

 “They were playing with three spinners and I knew I could cash in because I am good against spin bowling.”  Sehwag’s previous ten Test tons all topped 150, so was he disappointed at falling for 131? “I am always happy with whatever runs I make,” he replied. “I know the day I score, I make big runs. 130 is not a small effort at all. I am not worried about my averages. I play the game because I love it and I have passion for it.”
India fancied their chances from this point, Sehwag went on. “We are very positive and we are scoring very quickly. Hopefully, we will bat out tomorrow, score 700 or 800 runs and put pressure on them, try to get 20 wickets. I think the track will break up on the third or fourth day, I am confident we can get 20 wickets.”