05 February,2010 08:57 AM IST | | Sanjjeev K Samyal
World cricket's premier fast bowler Dale Steyn has thrown the gauntlet at the world's most destructive batsman Virender Sehwag as India and South Africa lock horns in what is being billed as World Championship of Test cricket.
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Dale Steyn |
However, the fast bowler's South African teammate AB de Villiers does not agree that SA have a gameplan to stop Sehwag. De Villiers had the opportunity to work closely with Sehwag during his time with Delhi Daredevils during the Indian Premier League.
"With the Daredevils, I learnt quite a few things about him. But there's nothing that will get him out of his natural game when we are playing against him in Tests. Our bowlers still need to bowl a good line and keep it tight. Else, they will be ripped apart," said De Villiers yesterday.
Sehwag had blasted a 304-ball 319 against South Africa in the opening Test at Chennai in '08 with the help of 42 fours and five sixes. But Steyn insisted the Proteas had sorted the Indian opener out after that as proved by the fact that the Delhi dasher did not get runs in the remainder of the series. Sehwag's sequence of scores after the triple hundred in the next two Tests read: 6, 17, 8 and 22.
"He showed us in Chennai that on flat wickets, he could score runs. But once we exploited his biggest weaknesses, he wasn't able to get away. We definitely have a gameplan against him," said Steyn.
A change in mindset is the key to success against Sehwag, said Steyn. "It was definitely not the wickets, it was the mind-frame that we got into. I am not giving everything away here, we still have to play two Tests against him. But whenever we go out to bowl in the Test match, you will obviously see what's going to be coming his way," warned Steyn.
