Viru has licence to go all out: Dhoni

Kanpur, Nov. 23: With Gautam Gambhir evolving into a complete batsman, there is just no need to straitjacket Virender Sehwag’s characteristic daredevilry, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said here on Monday.

Sehwag has been in his devil-may-care self in the Test series against Sri Lanka, getting off to rollicking starts but not staying long enough to convert them into big knocks. But asked Dhoni if the Delhi dasher needs to tone down his cavalier attitude in the second Test starting on Tuesday, he replied in the negative.

“You don’t really want to tell a player like him what to do. That is how he plays the game and is known for. He is more of an aggressor and is not the kind of guy who would stick to the wicket for one-and-half days. He is always looking to get on with game,” Dhoni explained.

Conveying the think-tank’s unconditional support for Sehwag’s brand of batsmanship, Dhoni said, “We want him to play his natural game. He is a very experienced player and we don’t need him to tell anything.” India probably can afford to let Sehwag play his natural game since the other opener, Gambhir, has evolved into a player who can shelve his natural aggression and graft for hours, something he displayed in the drawn first Test in Ahmedabad.

Effusive in his praise for the left-hander, Dhoni said, “He is a great character. Thrust him into whatever condition and he would play accordingly. He can shift gears easily and uses his feet well against the spinners. He has been consistently in good form over the past one-and-half years and whenever the team needed, he delivered. Once he sets himself well, he goes for big innings,” added the captain. Dhoni was his usual coy self when asked about team combination. “It has always been an issue in the media but you have to wait till tomorrow,” he said.

Asked how he rated S Sreesanth in the nets, Dhoni said the Kerala speedster was impressive but also sprang in defence of Ishant Sharma that revealed little about his preference if it comes to chose one between them. “Sreesanth has bowled well in the nets. He bowled with great pace and swung it a lot but we will have to wait till tomorrow,” Dhoni said.

“Ishant, meanwhile, is back in rhythm. He is putting in a lot of efforts and the improvement is there to see,” he said.

After the runfeast in Ahmedabad, Dhoni reckoned the pitch at the Green Park Stadium here would have more for the bowlers. “Compared to Motera, the pitch here looks different. It has got some grass and the base is dry. But you cannot really predict how the wicket would play the next five days,” Dhoni said.