Nets stint suggests changes in Sehwag's technique

Will all the work in the nets pay off for Virender Sehwag? © Getty Images

While explaining Virender Sehwag's omission from the squad for the West Indies series, Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of the selection committee, had offered a simple prescription: "He has to go back to the nets and sort out his cricket, his batting basically." Sehwag's sole nets session at Eden Gardens today may be insufficient grounds to form an opinion - the proof of that can only come when he makes runs in international cricket - but it was obvious he had done some work on his game in the break from international cricket.

Sehwag began at the net where the spinners were bowling before moving to the second net where Zaheer Khan, currently the spearhead of the Indian attack, came on especially to bowl to him, and it appeared that there were two changes in Sehwag's approach.

The first was that he seemed to take guard on middle stump, rather than leg stump. It was apparently Ravi Shastri who had first made the suggestion to Sehwag, during the Cape Town Test, as a means of countering his tendency to reach for deliveries outside the off stump. The second change was that Sehwag - who normally stands stock still before playing a stroke - made a slight back-and-across movement in the lead-up to playing a shot.

For batsmen, it is sometimes easy to make slight technical changes like this when batting in the nets but harder to stick to them in the heat of battle, when natural instincts take over. For what it's worth, though, Sehwag appeared comfortable batting in the nets, getting behind the line of the ball nicely and playing some trademark shots square of the wicket on the off side. For about 20 minutes - about the same time all the top-order batsmen spent in the nets - Sehwag batted confidently.

There are bound to be some nerves for Sehwag, who is making a comeback of sorts, but at the same time he will know that the team for the World Cup is not going to be picked purely on the basis of the forthcoming two matches. In that sense these two matches are not so much a trial for him as an opportunity to do what he does best.

Dravid, who has backed Sehwag in tight spots in the past, and clearly believes in his matchwinning abilities, was all praise for Sehwag in advance. "Sehwag is working hard in different areas, the smile is back on his face. He is keen to perform well tomorrow," said Dravid. "This is our last opportunity to fine-tune our game before the World Cup and we will be happy to put up a good performance."

India will be hoping Sehwag, who could be a key player in the West Indies, can roar back with a few good performances in this series.