Legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram on Thursday threw his weight behind out-of-form Indian opener Virender Sehwag, asking the Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to trust the abilities of the Delhi dasher, going into the Super Eight match against Australia, on Friday.
"Sehwag's position in the batting line-up is a no brainer. Dhoni has to trust Sehwag's abilities," said the former Pakistan skipper on the eve of India's World T20 Super Eight clash with the mighty Aussies.
“If Sehwag is fit, he must open the batting for India. No questions asked,” the former speedster added further, referring to the thumb injury Sehwag had picked up prior to the group match against England, last week.
Sehwag, the 33-year-old top-order batsman is enduring an extended lean patch, and has struggled to score big runs across all the three formats over the past two years.
His last Test century came in November 2010. His form and fitness have been a worry for the Indian team management since the ICC World Cup 2011 at home, as the ‘Nawab of Najafgarh’ has played only 13 One Day Internationals since the world cup feat. He has played only two notable innings during this period, a double ton against West Indies in December 2011 and a 96 against Sri Lanka, in July this year.
The swashbuckling Indian opener has also struggled to score runs in the ongoing World T20 championship in Sri Lanka, managing just 46 runs in three innings, including the two warm-up matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. He was rested for Sunday’s final Group A match against England, and is likely to continue warming bench on Friday as Dhoni is contemplating over playing five-bowlers in the Super Eight match against Australia.
"India will be playing their first Super 8 match against Australia at the Premadasa Stadium. Given the nature of the wicket Sehwag is an automatic choice,” said the veteran left-hander.
"The deck is perfect for his style of batting, but that does not mean Sehwag can throw caution to the wind. The longer he stays at the crease, India will profit," he added further.
Earlier on Wednesday, the veteran Australian batsman Michael Hussey had warned his side not to write off the struggling Indian batsman saying a player of Sehwag’s stature is “never out of form.”
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