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South Africa in India 2007-08

Sehwag praises Upton's input

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan in Chennai

March 24, 2008

	Virender Sehwag is more worried about the heat than the South African attack © Getty Images

So instinctive is Virender Sehwag's style of play that you sometimes wonder what effect a psychologist or a mental conditioning coach can have on his batting. But rewind two years to India's tour of West Indies and you had Sehwag saluting the efforts of Rudi Webster, the West Indian psychologist, for changing his game.

So it came as no surprise that he spent close to 45 minutes with Paddy Upton, India's latest mental conditioning and strategic leadership coach, at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

"I was discussing mental toughness issues with Paddy Upton," he said after another humid day in Chennai, one which saw more rain fall around noon. "It was quite a good discussion and hopefully a few positives will come out of it. Rudi Webster in West Indies was also a big help. Few people can answer the questions thrown up by the batsmen about mental toughness, so we can get 4-5 ideas from someone like him."

Until 2006, though, Sehwag was seen as someone who didn't approve of such coaches. He wasn't too eager about Sandy Gordon, who the team employed during the World Cup in 2003, and gave the impression of someone who just wanted to do his thing.

As with Webster, he seemed upbeat on this occasion too. "Over a period of time if you have been playing cricket for 8-9 years, sometimes you tend to forget small things and the moment someone reminds you of the things that you were doing in the past and what you are doing now," he said. "Everyone knows that if you are going to play a Test match, how you're going to get your runs. Pressure, dedication and motivation are the kind of things that are discussed."

He acknowledged the advantages of a regular coach - something India haven't had since Greg Chappell resigned after the World Cup last year - and said it played a part in logistical aspects. "[There are] not too many changes after Gary has taken over. Only man-management and facilities are better after Kirsten took over the reins. There is no time wasted in practice - everyone does what they are supposed to do. We have been having briefings for two days. [There is] point-to-point talk in the meetings. We had not expected him to be so well prepared."

Sehwag returned to the Test squad during the Australia tour, getting a chance in the Perth Test before making an emphatic century in Adelaide. "The mental and technical aspect were both tough," he said of the one-year period when he was out of the Test squad. "I was not in a good mindset. So I kept telling myself that I have done it in the past and I can do it in the present too. For me, I was trying to dominate from the first ball, which is why I was struggling. In Australia, I was biding my time and looking to take on the bowling after 15-16 overs."

Was he prepared to face the varied South African attack? "I think they have done well in the past because they got conditions that really suited them. There was swing and pace in South Africa and they exploited that. But they won't get similar conditions here. We are not worried about the bowlers, we are worried about how we will manage the heat."

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

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