Virender Sehwag reveals Shoaib Akhtar's influence in tackling initial fear of fast bowling

Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag was one of the most attacking openers of his time. The 'Nawab of Najafgarh' is regarded as one of those players that changed the dynamics of Test cricket. The 41-year-old used to deal in boundaries and sixes when he used to open the innings for India. When Virender Sehwag got going, there was hardly any bowler who could evade his wrath.

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Virender Sehwag reveals how getting dismissed by Shoiab Akhtar motivated him to improve his batting against pacers

However, the same wasn't the case at the start of his career. Virender Sehwag was present on a talk show Aap Ki Adalat where the host asked him about the secret of overcoming the fear of facing fast bowlers that he had at the beginning of his career. Virender Sehwag revealed that on his international debut in 1999, Shoaib Akhtar got him out for just 1, which is why later in his career, he smashed him all around the park.

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Sehwag further said that he had never faced that kind of pace in his life. He added that in the Indian domestic circuit back then, bowlers used to bowl at a maximum of 130-135 km/hr but in international cricket, Shoaib Akhtar was consistently bowling at 145-150 km/hr and got him out on the first ball he bowled to him. As a result, when the former opener went back home after that 1999 tournament, he figured a way to get rid of his fear of facing fast bowlers. He knew he cannot get a bowler who can consistently bowl over 145 km/hr.

This prompted Sehwag to think out of the box and reduce the size of the pitch near his house where he practised, from 22 yards to 16 yards which ensured that the domestic bowlers' pace increased considerably. Virender Sehwag stated that the reduction of the pitch's size also helped him in improving his reflexes. Sehwag also revealed another method that helped him in improving his batting against pacers. He said that he used to practice by pouring water on a cement wicket which made the ball skid, thereby increasing its pace.

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Virender Sehwag stats

The Virender Sehwag stats in international cricket are nothing short of spectacular. The Virender Sehwag stats include the 8,586 runs he scored in 104 Tests at an average of 49.34 and a phenomenal strike-rate of 82.23. Some other Sehwag stats also include his staggering numbers in limited-overs cricket. Sehwag played 251 ODIs where he scored 8,273 runs at an average of 35.06 and an astonishing strike-rate of 104.34 He also featured in 19 T20Is where he scored 394 runs at a blistering strike-rate of 145.39. Sehwag scored 38 international centuries and 70 fifties.

Shoaib Akhtar says Imran Nazir more talented than Virender Sehwag

According to CricketPakistan, Shoaib Akhtar made a controversial comment by saying that ex-Pakistan opening batsman Imran Nazir possessed more talent than Virender Sehwag. Shoaib Akhtar agreed that while Imran Nazir didn't have the cricketing brain that Virender Sehwag had, the Indian opener didn't have the talent that Imran Nazir had as well.

He further said that there is no comparison with regards to talent. Shoaib Akhtar claimed that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) tried to contain Imran Nazir a little. When he hit a brutal ODI hundred against India in a match, the pacer asked them to play Imran Nazir consistently but they didn’t listen.

Shoaib Akhtar lamented PCB wasting Imran Nazir's talent, who was banned later due to his involvement in the now-defunct rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL). Shoaib Akhtar added Pakistan could have produced a better batsman than Virender Sehwag if they had used him intelligently. He also lauded Imran Nazir's fielding abilities. Additionally, he admitted the presence of Javed Miandad whenever Imran Nazir got the chance. Shoaib Akhtar applauded Miandad, who kept him focussed when Nazir played a bad shot.

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IMAGE COURTESY: VIRENDER SEHWAG & SHOAIB AKHTAR INSTAGRAM