Virender Sehwag talks just like he bats — he brooks no nonsense. After falling seven runs short of a record even Don Bradman would have been proud of, he said when a good day comes, it’s better to make the most of it. Excerpts...
Are you unhappy that you could not reach the 300-run mark after being so close to it?
No. I am very happy that at least I scored 293 which is still a record. Scoring these many runs after two triple hundreds is a record. I am very proud of it. I would be still happy had I got out yesterday.
Did you get tired physically or mentally on Thursday after batting for so long?
It is like fielding for a day or a day-and-half. I don’t think I was tired, mentally a little bit but physically I was ok. I was getting spasms in my back but Nitin Patel and Mane kaka (massuer) helped me a lot during the tea break. They gave me a couple of things and they gave me a massage and it really helped. They do a fantastic job with the players.
How would you describe this knock?
I would say yesterday was my day. It will be very hard for me to describe the knock.
Would you have preferred to complete the triple century on the second day?
I did not have enough time yesterday.
What was the difference between your two triple hundreds and this one?
There was no difference. I tried to take my time...maybe the ball was not there to hit. I tried to take a single off that ball but I misjudged the length and hit it straight to Muralitharan.
How would you rate this knock?
This is my third-best knock.
What did you the whole night? Did you think about the triple hundred?
My night went replying to the messages.
What lesson should a youngster learn from your knock?
It is very hard to bat a full day. One should try to bat full day on his good day and utilise it to the fullest and score as many runs as one can. I was in brilliant form on Thursday and just required to score a few more runs today to reach the record score.
What do you have to say about Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s knock?
It is one of the best hundreds I have seen by a wicketkeeper/lower order batsmen because when Ojha went out to bat he was in the 60s. Everyone knows Dhoni can hit sixes and he capitalised on the situation very well by playing out four or five deliveries in every over before hitting the sixes. It is one of the best knocks by a lower-order batsman.
How different was this knock different from your earlier three-figure knock in Kanpur?
In Ahmedabad, Gary told me to stay at the wicket for 5-6 overs and remove the shine of the ball. Then go for the runs. I did the same thing and it worked for me.
Did you speak to your family yesterday? What did they tell you?
There were happy with the way I batted. They wanted me to score 300 & 400 runs. My son kept on kissing me on television.
What do you have to say about Muralitharan’s current form?
Murali is still a champion bowler and it is always a challenge to play him. I think he will bowl well even after his retirement!
Many have compared you to West Indian great Vivian Richards. Have you ever seen him play?
I’ve never seen him play but it is an honour to be compared to someone like him.
Being a destructive batsman, do you see yourself as an entertainer?
It depends on individual to individual. But I am an entertainer.
How did you go about your innings?
I was just looking to hit boundaries and I didn’t want to miss any opportunities. You cannot hit a six or a four every time so I was looking to hit boundaries. If they were bowling negative there was an option for me like hitting over the covers or the reverse sweep because the outfield is so fast that when you time it and it goes for four. I was just looking for the boundaries. I was a little bit cautious and I was patient because I played a lot of dot balls and it helped me.
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