It was my day, CSK had to pay: Sehwag

INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE 7
April 2014 – 1 June 2014

31 May 2014

It was my day, CSK had to pay:

SehwagAfter scoring a century, the batting legend hopes his best will come in the Final

Joy cannot come in a form purer than Virender Sehwag batting at his best – simple, effortless. All present at Wankhede Stadium for Qualifier 2 of Pepsi IPL 2014 between KXIP and CSK will vouch for it. For they saw one of Sehwag’s most marauding innings – he pummeled the CSK bowling attack to the tune of 122 off 58 balls. The ball sailed over the boundary rope eight times for six runs and a dozen times for fours. For those few minutes, Sachin Tendulkar’s kingdom was ruled by Virender Sehwag.

On the back of Sehwag’s second IPL century, KXIP romped to their first ever IPL Final, where they take on Kolkata Knight Riders, in Bangalore. The man of the moment, in a chat withIPLT20.com, hoped his best will come out in the grand finale.

Here are excerpts from Sehwag’s exclusive interview:

Today, it was your turn to play book cricket?

Yes, it was. It’s been a long time; I played 14 games and got the starts. I knew that a big innings was around the corner. But I’d like to believe that the best is yet to come and hopefully it will come in Bangalore in the next game. Let’s hope we play the same quality of cricket in the Final that we have throughout the tournament.

Some players get a feeling when they’re walking out to bat that it’s going to be their day. Did you feel that today?

A couple of people actually called me. One of them was the BCCI Treasurer, Mr. Anirudh Chaudhary. He called me in the morning and said, ‘Boss, I have a feeling that today is going to be your day’. It was nice of him to make me realise that. When I walked in to bat today, I told myself, ‘If today is indeed my day, the Chennai Super Kings have to pay’!

Was there anything you did differently in this innings?

Nothing, I just played the way I have been playing for the last 15 years. It was just one of those days when the no matter where I hit the ball, it went for a four or a six. I am really thankful to our coach, Sanjay Bangar, who told me that I have to stay there for 15-16 overs. He has been backing me all the time and has motivated me throughout, telling me, ‘You have a lot of cricket left in you, so just believe in yourself and your abilities’.

Which of your IPL centuries do you like better – this one or the 119 in 2011 for DD?

I cannot choose between the two. Both are equally special because they came in winning causes.

You played some breathtaking shots today. Any particular one you enjoyed the most?

That six that I hit off Ashish Nehra off a back-of-a-length delivery that went over his head – I was actually shocked when it went for a six!

What is the mid-pitch conversation like when you and Maxwell are batting together? Do you even talk?

Not really. I was just focusing on my game today and I had told myself to concentrate on my batting rather than my partner’s. But yes, we did enjoy each other’s company in the middle and applauded each other’s shots.

Your son must be feeling right now that his dad is a superhero!

Absolutely! He has finally seen one of my good innings.

Arjun Tendulkar was here wearing a KXIP jersey cheering for you too.

Was he? I didn’t see him, but if he was here, it was very nice of him to come and support us. I thank him and Sachin, both.

वीरेंद्र सहवाग ने शुक्रवार को मुंबई के वानखेड़े स्‍टेडियम में आईपीएल के दूसरे क्वालीफायर में किंग्स इलेवन पंजाब की ओर से चेन्नई सुपरकिंग्स के खिलाफ 58 गेंद में 122 रन की पारी खेलकर अपने बेटे से किया वादा निभा दिया.

आईपीएल में अपना दूसरा शतक जड़ने के बाद सहवाग ने खुलासा किया कि उन्होंने कुछ दिन पहले अपने बेटे से बात करते हुए उसे वादा किया था कि वह बाकी बचे मैचों में रन बनाएंगे.

सहवाग ने कहा, ‘उस दिन मेरी पत्‍नी ने मुझे फोन किया और मेरे बेटे (आर्यवीर) ने फोन ले लिया. उसने कहा पापा आप आउट क्यों हो रहे हो. स्कूल में मेरे दोस्त मुझे चिढ़ाते हैं कि तुम्हारे पापा रन नहीं बना रहे. मैंने उसे कहा कि बेटा अभी मैच बचे हैं और तुम चिंता मत करो मैं रन बनाऊंगा.’