Sehwag

Calcutta: Team India’s batting failure at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday, against world champions Australia, prompted a brainstorming session on Monday afternoon where only the batters were present.

Senior pro Virender Sehwag was very much there (he attended the day’s optional nets too), but it’s to be seen whether he makes a comeback in Tuesday’s crucial ODI versus Sri Lanka.

According to The Telegraph’s sources, Sehwag had actually been dropped on Sunday, even though captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni suggested otherwise.

“Viru wasn’t 100 per cent fit,” Dhoni told the media after the 50-run defeat, a loss which has added to the pressure of staying in the race to make the best-of-three finals of the Commonwealth Bank series.

Apparently, Sehwag had been “very keen” to play and that contradicts the bit about him either having a sore shoulder, a side strain or even a mysterious hip problem.

Without really clearing the air, a member of the team management said: “For Viru to play, we’ll have to go back to four specialist bowlers… It’s going to be a tough call as the Sri Lankans tend to target the fifth bowler, particularly if he’s not a specialist… And, so, one can’t say that Viru will definitely make the XI…”

The decision has been put on hold till the full-fledged team meeting, some hours before the day-night encounter.

Sehwag, clearly, will have a sleepless night and it’s somewhat baffling that his qualities (even if they haven’t exactly wowed the purists) have suddenly been forgotten.

Hailed as a matchwinner one day, given the kick the next... But then, at 29, Sehwag doesn’t qualify for the young brigade’s membership.

For the record, over 182 ODIs, Sehwag has a phenomenal strike-rate of almost 97.

Meanwhile, Dhoni and Co. will be reminded by a member of the team management that their “priority” is to beat Sri Lanka and “all other things (including the Indian Premier League)” can wait.

Irfan Pathan, of course, would like us to believe that the League-related matters haven’t been a distraction. If that was so, then a reminder to stay focused on the job at hand wouldn’t be on the agenda for Tuesday.

Anyway, Pathan and his teammates have the chance to correct a popular perception.