“Sehwag's absence England's gain"

Keeping an injured Virender Sehwag in the 17-man squad is a smart move by the Indian selectors, feels Wasim Akram.

By Abhideep Das

As India’s tour of West Indies draws to an end, fans and experts are now looking ahead to the most-anticipated tussle of the year between England and Team Dhoni. Wasim Akram, too, is anticipating a great series.

The 17-member Indian squad announced last Saturday for the four Tests in England was more or less on anticipated lines. Despite not recovering fully from a shoulder injury, Virender Sehwag is still part of the squad.
However the ‘Nawab of Najafgarh’ is more or less certain to miss the first two matches at Lord’s (July 21-25) and Trent Bridge (July 29-August 2). Akram feels Sehwag’s initial absence will give England a psychological edge.

“The absence of an explosive batsman like Sehwag at top of the order is a disadvantage for Team India going into this big series. I don’t think there is any other impact player like him in world cricket currently,” said Akram.

The former Pakistan skipper added: “Besides Sehwag has forged a great opening combination with Gautam Gambhir over the last three years. Apart from hitting the boundaries, they are adept at pinching those quick singles due to the great understanding they share. They have scored runs all over the world in difficult conditions,” said Akram during an exclusive conversation with Mobile ESPN from Manchester on Wednesday."

While the 32-year-old Sehwag has scored only 527 runs from 11 Tests against the ‘Three Lions’ at an average of 31, his record in England is significantly better. It was during the 2002 tour there that the Delhi dasher started opening the innings for India in the longest format of the game.
In his first ever innings at top of the order in a Test match, Sehwag scored a breathtaking 96-ball 84 at Lord’s. He followed up that effort with a brilliant 106 in the first innings of the second Test under seaming conditions at Trent Bridge.

The impact Sehwag can create at the top of the order with his aggressive style can demoralise the English bowlers, feels Akram. However on account of poor form, Sehwag was not part of the victorious Indian team that toured England in 2007.

Akram had words of praise for Krishnamachari Srikkanth and company for retaining the opener in the 2011 touring party.

“He may not play the first two matches but the fact is, Sehwag will still get a chance to acclimatize himself to the conditions in England with some useful practice during the nets sessions. This experience will come in handy once he recovers fully from his injury and is ready to play. I therefore think this is a very smart move by the Indian selectors,” concluded the ESPN-STAR Sports expert.