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Sehwag sets off to charm the county scene

By Vijay Lokapally

NEW DELHI MAY 2. His dream of scripting a Ranji Trophy triumph dashed by a beauty from L. Balaji at the Kotla early this last week, the dashing Virender Sehwag now leaves to dominate the English county cricket circuit with Leicestershire contracting him as their prize overseas professional.

Sehwag, back in Delhi for a day after a two-day commercial engagement in Mumbai, was scheduled to fly to London on Friday night on what he termed as a "challenging assignment'' which should do his cricket a world of good.

England, as Sehwag acknowledged, was a severe test for one's batting skills. "I'm looking forward to playing the county circuit. I know it would be very demanding but I'm keen to keep up my form,'' said the Delhi strokeplayer, known as one of the most exciting and destructive batsmen in contemporary cricket.

Having risen through the grind, Sehwag's elavation as a premier strokeplayer is a saga of hard work. From the days when he travelled in public transport buses to reach the venue for a match or a training session to the current comforts of driving in a Honda City, he has seen it all.

"I would leave my house at 5 in the morning because the next bus would mean reporting late for the match or `nets'. It was very hard,'' Sehwag recalled. It was really hard with passengers cursing him for blocking their way with his huge kit. Relief came later when one of the bus drivers would give him space to put his kit in the front. And then, with his rise as a club cricketer who could win matches on his own, came greater relief in the shape of a two-wheeler.

Ashish Nehra, who also drives around in a luxury car now, used to be Sehwag's pillion for years, holding on the kit dearly as the two would drive to different venues. Nehra remembers Sehwag as a fast but safe driver. After his first one-day match, Sehwag could afford to buy a car, and of course things have changed dramatically in the last one year when he acquired international status as a batsman next only to Sachin Tendulkar. Silly comparisons between him and Tendulkar only left Sehwag embarrassed and he never lost opportunity to request critics not to compare the two.

Sehwag, known to the cricketing fraternity as Viru, has not set any goals to be achieved while playing for Leicestershire. "The idea is to enjoy my cricket and learn as much as I can. Cricket is a constant learning process and nothing would please me more than improving my batsmanship,'' said Sehwag, who plays his first match on May 5.

Harbhajan has to wait

Far away in Jalandhar, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was nursing an injured finger in his bowling hand. "It's frustrating no doubt but I couldn't have taken a risk,'' said Harbhajan who played the tri-series in Dhaka with an injured middle finger. It is strange that an injured Harbhajan was picked by the selectors ahead of left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, who had declared himself fit and available.

The short stint in Dhaka only harmed Harbhajan more. "The doctor told me to rest for six weeks at least, which means I can only fly out in the first week of June,'' informed Harbhajan, the overseas professional for Lancashire.

Harbhajan, meanwhile, was enjoying his break from cricket. "It's been a long break for all of us. I'm disappointed at not being able to join the county from the beginning but then it also means I could spend time with my family. The last few days have been great,'' said Harbhajan.

The off-spinner would leave for England early next month. "I'll have to see my match-fitness because the injury would have to heal. I'll need to do lot of physiotherapy before I could bowl in a match.''

No regrets, says Zaheer

Ace medium-pacer Zaheer Khan would have gained immensely this season had his talks with Warwickshire worked. Clash of dates between Ranji Trophy and the start of county season denied Zaheer a well-deserved stint. The humble bowler from Srirampur in Maharashtra opted to play for Baroda and Warwickshire was left with little choice since Zaheer would have missed five matches for the county. "I've no regrets,'' said Zaheer, who is planning a holiday in England with his parents.

As Ravi Shastri had once remarked, it was good for a player to experience a season of county cricket. "It hones your skills and tests your temperament,'' was how Shastri assessed with a caution "too much of county cricket can harm too because the demands are exacting.''

Probably that was the reason why Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly have never entertained thoughts of returning to the county circuit. Both achieved moderate success during their stints with Yorkshire and Lancashire with Ganguly failing to even win friends in the dressing room. Sunil Gavaskar, in his prime, had turned down many offers from various counties. So had Kapil Dev.

Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath and Rahul Dravid were among the cricketers who received praise for their county performances. Srinath would be in action for a while as a coach-cum-bowler for Durham this season even as Dravid, who had a successful stint with Kent a couple of seasons ago, will be out for a Scottish club this summer. In the second-half of the summer, Mohammad Kaif would represent Derbyshire, the county which in the past recruited stalwarts like S. Venkataraghavan and Mohammad Azharuddin. "It's a dream come true'' remarked Kaif.

The modern Indian cricketers would find support from former great Bishan Singh Bedi for playing at least one season in England. "It builds your cricket character and you learn so much about the culture of the game,'' says Bedi. Good for youngsters like Kaif, Harbhajan and Sehwag to have bagged lucrative contracts.

Even as these cricketers would be busy exploring the cricket field of England, there will be one more Indian packing his bags to join them — Ashish Nehra. Recovering at home from a surgery on his ankle, Nehra would be in England for his rehabilitation.

"It'll be great to follow the exploits of my mates,'' said Nehra, a self-confessed fan of Sehwag and Harbhajan. And then all the seniors can share their experience with the India `A' team which will be touring the Old Blighty in June-July. It could well be an Indian cricket carnival in England this summer.

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